A new event set to raise funds and awareness for the Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre will take place on August 31 at Ray’s Rest, Kaiaua.
The Shorebird Coast Run will see 200 people taking part in the 5km or 12 km races along the Hauraki Rail Trail starting with the 12km run at 10am.
Even though the registrations for the races have already sold out, organisers say there is still plenty for people and families to do on the day.
Event organiser Tim Ashby-Peckham told The Profile the event will run in collaboration with the Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre, which advocates for shorebirds with research, habitat restoration and education.
Tim said his hope was to raise funds for the centre – which was full of people who were passionate about nature, the environment and offered a lot of input and support for the local wildlife.
“And it’s a really cool place to just learn about fascinating things that you never knew you probably would be interested in.”
Tim said even though the main event had sold out, there was a lot more the day had to offer – “it’s not just a fun run”.
Coffee, food trucks, nature walks and talks, the kids’ game, and a bird costume competition for kids are some of the activities to be expected on the day.
People can still sign up for the talk and guided walk, where the centre planned to take some people down to the shore and “hopefully encounter some of the birds firsthand”, he said.
Tim said the kids’ game was still open for registrations, and would be open on the day as well.
“It’s also a good opportunity to kind of go one step further and maybe learn a bit about something you didn’t know.”
Tim said he had been receiving a lot of emails every day from people asking if there were any cancellations so they could join in the race.
It was a good indicator that if there was enough interest, hopefully they could make it a bigger event and hold it again next year, Tim said.
For people wondering about heading along to the event: “it should be a good opportunity to just come down and have a day out on the reserve”.
Hang out and enjoy nature, Tim said.
DETAILS: To see the event schedule, visit: theshorebirdcoastrun.weeblysite.com, and for more details about The Pūkorokoro Miranda Shorebird Centre, visit: shorebirds.org.nz.
