Sunday afternoon at the Hilux New Zealand Rural Games will be spectacular as the Trillian Trek arrives in town with 35 mad cap vehicles in tow.
Held in The Square in Palmerston North on the 9th and 10th of March – the Games are New Zealand’s premier celebration of rural sports attracting more than 200 athletes from a diverse range of disciplines from both sides of the Tasman.
New Zealand Rural Games Founder and Trust Board Member Steve Hollander says the aim is to celebrate rural sports and bring young people together by providing an array of free events for children.
The Trillian Trek is a Kiwi tradition – you might remember it as the Variety Bash – and over 29 years they’ve raised $10million for Kiwi Kids in need. Their mission is to spread as many smiles as possible and raise money for kids in need, and they do this through noncompetitive charity car rallies around Aotearoa.
Trek Organiser Murray O’Donnell says about 135 people in 35 themed cars, buses and trucks will be part of the Trek.
“We’ll arrive at about midday and do a couple of laps of The Square before getting stuck into some of the Rural Games Have a Go events.”
There will be a twinsteer LA Fire Engine, five other Fire Engines plus Buses and cars all with a theme along with some very colourful people as well.
The 2019 Trek is raising funds for the Blue Light Charity, which is all about empowering youth at a community level.
While in Palmerston North Trillian Trek will announce $12,600 worth of grants to:
- Cloverlea School
- Terrace End School
- SANNZ Milson Scouts
- Ross Intermediate School
- Mentored Charitable Trust
On Sunday March 10 the Trek leaves Tongariro and makes its way to The Square in Palmerston North for the Hilux New Zealand Rural Games. The Trek will overnight in Palmerston North before heading to Lower Hutt. It’ll then come back up the island, landing in Paihiatua on March 13 and Taihape on March 14.
