Golf Caddy Embarks on Lengthy New Zealand Trek

A golf caddy is undertaking a remarkable journey, walking the entire length of New Zealand while carrying two golf bags filled with clubs to raise funds for charity.

Dougie Haynes, originally from Oxford, has been living and working in Aotearoa New Zealand for five years. He serves as a caddy at two of the country's most prestigious golf courses.

On 25 October, Dougie began his six-month trek from Cape Reinga, the northernmost point of New Zealand's North Island, heading southward to Bluff, located at the southern tip of the South Island.

Inspiration and Challenge

Dougie was motivated to take on the 3,000km (1,900-mile) Te Araroa Trail after observing thousands of hikers pass through his hometown of Mangawhai, which lies along the route.

"At the start of each summer I've watched a couple of hundred to a thousand people go through town doing the trail, and I thought 'I want to do that one year',"

"This was the year to do it and, in a moment of madness, I chose to put the golf clubs on my shoulder."

Now 31 years old, Dougie has been walking the trail for over three months, carrying two golf bags that can weigh up to 15kg (33lbs) each.

"I've worked as a golf caddy for six years now, and that was the inspiration really for carrying the clubs,"

Charity Fundraising Effort

Dougie aims to raise $50,000 NZD (£22,000) for two charities that are important to him: Kids Can, a New Zealand-based organisation, and Mind, a UK mental health charity.

"I had a very close friend of mine who passed away when I was 22. He was 23 and was getting a lot of help through Mind, who do great work for people with mental health,"

Progress and Experience on the Trail

Although Dougie moves more slowly than many hikers due to the extra weight of his golf bags, he has fewer than 90 days remaining on his journey.

Speaking from Havelock, near the northern part of the South Island, Dougie described the experience:

"The journey was going by at a very rapid rate."

"But that finish line is still quite a long way away, so it's still a long, long endeavour."

Along the Te Araroa Trail, Dougie has encountered volunteers known as Trail Angels who generously open their homes, gardens, and kitchens to hikers.

"It's been absolutely amazing and humbling. I've known how amazing the country of New Zealand, and its community, is, but it's gone to another level being on this trail,"

Looking Ahead

Dougie anticipates a break from carrying golf equipment once he completes the trek but expects to return to the golf course soon after.

"There will certainly be a break from treading the path of the links when I finish,"

"But I'm sure I'll get back on the course pretty quickly after that."

He also looks forward to returning to Oxfordshire's "pleasant hills" in the summer and hopes to attend an Oxford United football match, which he has missed over the past six years.

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