KEY POINTS:
Former cricket star Chris Cairns walked up the steps of Parliament yesterday after a long hike down the North Island to raise funds and awareness for rail safety.
He is undertaking a 1001km foot journey, from Pukekohe to Rolleston in the South Island where his sister was killed in 1993. Louise Cairns was 19 and a passenger on a train which was hit by a concrete truck.
The 38-year-old aims to raise public awareness about level crossings on the rail network.
He also wants to raise money for the Chris Cairns Foundation, which he hopes will make a difference with rail safety.
Since Louise and two other women died in the 1993 incident, more than 100 people have been killed at level crossings, including 86 in the past five years.
Cairns was escorted into Parliament by Labour MPs Maryan Street, Charles Chauvel and Harry Duynhoven.
By then he had done 635km in 22 days and gone through six pairs of shoes as well as multiple boxes of bananas.
To keep his energy levels up the team has endless supplies of bananas, which he has with a piece of white bread every hour.
Cairns is averaging 28km a day and has met a number of people who also lost loved ones to rail accidents.
He expects to arrive at Rolleston on September 21.
