Despite having very little alpine experience, last November, Auckland sisters Hannah and Sarah Carter climbed 14 of the North Island’s tallest mountains for a good cause.
As to how they found themselves clinging for dear life to various rocky cliff faces, they have Jack Keeys to thank – because the 28-year-old has a habit of performing daring feats to help people in need.
It all started in 2020, when Paeroa-raised Jack donned gumboots to run the Auckland Marathon, raising money for Melanoma New Zealand and the Rural Support Trust. Then in 2021, he embarked on a 100km barefoot hike to provide shoes for children in need.
Jack, Hannah, Sarah and Cameron on Mt Ruapehu.
Keen to continue on his path of good works, Jack decided he wanted to be a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters Auckland, a non-profit organisation that helps children facing adversity by matching them up with stable, positive adult mentors.
“When I applied to be a mentor, there were over 300 children on the waiting list, but I was turned down because of a lack of funding,” tells Jack.
Recognising the charity’s desperate need for cash resources, he created a fundraising initiative called 14Peaks, an expedition that would see him hike up 14 of the North Island’s highest summits.
But Jack didn’t want to embark on such an ambitious mission alone, so he roped in his brother Cameron, 23, who enlisted his partner Hannah, 25, a mental health nurse, who in turn recruited her sister Sarah, 29, an HR co-ordinator with St John.
Hannah’s view from the top.
With more enthusiasm than experience, the intrepid quartet set out last November to summit the 14 maunga, which included Pirongia, Taranaki, Ruapehu, Tongariro, Ngāuruhoe, Tarawera, Te Aroha and Karangahake.
Born and raised in Auckland, Hannah and Sarah had no idea what they’d said yes to – they just hoped it would be a fun way to explore the North Island and raise some money at the same time. In spite of the challenging reality of the expedition, they never gave up.
“We’d done a couple of hikes here and there, a few practice walks in the Waitākere Ranges and I walked up Rangitoto with my partner a couple of weeks before we set off,” says Sarah. “But I was more into running and workout tapes as opposed to actual hiking, so some fear did creep in as we got closer to departure.”
“Being November, we expected mostly sunny weather,” Hannah chimes in. “We packed lots of shorts, singlets and sunblock, which meant we weren’t prepared for the conditions we encountered, which included snow, rain and fog.”
To make matters even more arduous, on the very first day, Hannah’s hiking boots broke.
“Mt Pirongia was very muddy and rocky, and my boots just ripped apart. On day two, on Taranaki, I had to tape them up, but that didn’t work, so the next day I had to buy a new pair of boots.”
Along the way, the group had to dig deep. “I came pretty close to melting down on Kaweka J in Hawke’s Bay,” Sarah recalls. “We thought that day was going to be an easy, breezy four-hour hike. But no. At one point, we’re going up this really exposed rock face on all fours. It didn’t help that Cameron was already at the top, then he looked back down at me and said, ‘You don’t want to fall now or you’ll roll off the side and die!'”
Sore but determined to make it.
Naturally, the girls’ parents worried about their urban daughters tackling such a risky venture. “Sarah and I are fit, but the idea of 14 peaks in 14 days did concern them,” says Hannah. “Every day they’d call and ask, ‘What mountain are you on? Are you safe? Are there any river crossings?’ We quickly learned not to send them photos from each day until we were done.”
After 123km of hiking, the fierce foursome finally completed the challenge, raising more than $14,000. They also recognised how their quest embodied the spirit of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Because
they supported each other on the most difficult days, they discovered how much more they were all capable of as a team, rather than on their own.
“Looking back, I am so proud of what we achieved,” Sarah says with pride. “Raising the money was the biggest thing, of course, but we also learned how much further we were able to push ourselves when we had to.
“When I think of the first couple of days, we were so sore and I’d think I couldn’t walk another step, but we pushed through together and kept going.”
To help Hannah and Sarah raise funds for Big Brothers Big Sisters Auckland, visit 14peaks.org.nz. For more information on the charity or to donate, go to bigbrothersbigsisters.org.nz.
