Darryl Cash, a 73-year-old shoe shop owner from Taupō, began an epic 900km walk from Picton to Bluff last Wednesday to raise $3000 for Diabetes New Zealand.
Followed by wife Karen in a support vehicle, Darryl has pledged to walk "every step" of the journey, sticking to State Highway 1 until he reaches the bottom of the South Island.
After learning about the work Diabetes NZ does to support children living with the condition, and as a type 2 diabetic himself, Darryl said he felt compelled to complete the journey during November's Diabetes Action Month.
Darryl is no stranger to long-distance walking, having completed the North Island section of Te Araroa across 2019 and 2020.
Inspired as a teenager by A.H. Reed's book From North Cape to Bluff, which documented the author's journey across New Zealand at the age of 85, Darryl thought: "I could do that."
Having put the dream on hold for several years due to health issues and "life getting in the way", he is now returning to complete the next stage of his ultimate Cape Reinga to Bluff goal, this time sticking to the roads and camping along the route.
"Karen said, 'No, you're too old. You're going to kill yourself if you do the TA trail in the South Island.' So we came to a compromise that I was going to walk down the road," he says.
Darryl hopes to reach Bluff by early December, completing the journey in 30 to 33 days. He plans to cover around 30km each day, with three or four rest days along the way.
"Getting used to the 100km traffic and the trucks and the windy days and the hat blowing off is a challenge," he says.
An unexpected highlight came on the first day when he discovered the Whale Trail between Picton and Blenheim.
"It was such a lovely walk. I met a lady walking her dog, and a few cyclists."
Modest about the effort, Darryl is keen to keep the focus on the fundraising campaign.
"This isn't about me."
His walk will contribute to Diabetes NZ's One Million Minutes Challenge, a nationwide initiative encouraging Kiwis to collectively log one million minutes of movement to raise awareness of rising diabetes rates.
"I think it's really important to encourage diabetics to get exercise. The challenge helps them get into a pattern every day."
Karen says the family is behind him all the way.
"That's just Dad," was their children's reaction to his latest adventure, she laughs.
To donate to Darryl's cause, visit https://one-million-minutes-2026.raiselysite.com/darryl-cash
