Mother and daughter to bungy jump 40m for Mercy Hospice

In a bid to give back to the cause that helped them, a mother and daughter will bungy jump off Auckland's Harbour Bridge on Friday.

Taking the plunge off a 40m-high ledge into Auckland's chilling winter waters sounds daunting - but Rosie and Hannah Piper say it's nothing compared with the work Mercy Hospice does for hundreds of New Zealand families every year.

Three-and-a-half years ago the Pipers were one of those families.

Rosie's late ex-husband Nick, father to Hannah, was diagnosed with terminal stage four liver cancer. It was sudden and the family had little time to prepare.

"He fought it for as long as he could but we did get in touch with Hospice fairly soon and their support was beyond amazing," Rosie Piper said.

She said before Nick got sick she knew little about the work Mercy Hospice does and she could not believe it relied mostly on community donations.

"It just blew my mind. I just thought how do they do it all with such compassion and love for every person who comes in there - and not just for the patients but the families too.

"They are an amazing group of people, nothing was ever too much trouble and I just think that facility that is there for everyone and on volunteer work is just incredible. "

Hannah, 12, said Hospice gave her dad a special place to be when he was very sick and she was so thankful for that.

"I got to have dinner with him there and be with him and they helped him to be comfortable.

"I miss him every single day and I wish I could hear one of his stories again. I wanted to raise money so other children could know their mum or dad would be cared for like that too," Hannah said.

Rosie Piper's ex-husband, Nick, died after a short fight against liver cancer. Photo / Greg Bowker

The pair will be jumping with 30 other brave Kiwis in a bid to raise donations for the hospice.

Other jumpers will include doctors, nurses and volunteers from the hospice.

It costs $30 per day to provide meals for patients in the care of the hospice.

The facility provides a range of specialist community palliative care and hospice services for people facing life-limiting illness.

• To donate to the Leap for Life, visit: https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/leap-for-life-we-are-going-to-jump-off-the-bridge