Participants are pounding up and down Mauao with only one day to go for the Mount Everest Challenge.

Tauranga's 95.8 The Breeze and Live for More teams will have a special guest joining them at the foot of Mauao on the final morning of the challenge.

From 7am – 9am on Thursday April 6, the Easter Bunny will be helping the teams give out some Easter treats, as challenge participants complete their final climbs of Mauao.

The challenge campaign kicked off on February 12 and was meant to end on April 2. As the tracks on Mauao were closed due to storms at the beginning of the challenge, it was extended by four extra days.

'We originally had it finishing before daylight savings ended, so now with these last few days, people are climbing in the dark,” says Tauranga's 95.8 The Breeze Promotion Manager Kelsey Harrap.

Kelsey Harrap determined to finish the challenge after getting her appendix out. Photo: Supplied.

The mission of the charity fundraiser is simple – as an individual or as part of a team, walk, run or crawl up Mauao 38 times in 50 days; which is the equivalent to climbing Mount Everest, all while raising much needed funds for a local charity. This year the chosen charity is Live for More.

Kelsey is determined to complete her own 38 climbs.

'I ended up in hospital on Day 1 of the challenge,” says Kelsey. 'I got my appendix out which set me back for a couple of weeks.”

On Friday she was determined to continue completing the challenge minus one organ, with 13 climbs to do in eight days, making it a busy weekend of conquering Mauao.

By Wednesday morning she only has five more climbs to go.

'I did three on Monday. I can go up three times in one and a half hours. I would feel guilty not finishing it by Thursday,” says Kelsey.

Hannah O'Kane and Shane Herdman after completing the challenge. Photo: Supplied.

She says often people stop her as she's climbing, recognising the Everest challenge tee shirt she's wearing. The tee-shirts have been sponsored by Smiths Sports Shoes and Diffuse Printing.

'It feels like a little community when you see people up there in their Mount Everest tees and they stop and ask you how many climbs you've done, give you a high 5 and tell you to keep going. Despite the weather, people keep on going!”

She says two participants have completed the challenge three times which is a total of 114 climbs in 50 days.

'Our sales manager Dan Breed at The Breeze has climbed it 114 times, which is equivalent to completing the challenge three times.”

MediaWorks Sales Manager Dan Breed after finishing his 114th climb. Photo: Supplied.

Kelsey says the Body in Motion Waikato team got jealous of their team here in Tauranga completing the challenge and have been doing their own challenge - climbing the Hakarimatas 24 times while raising funds for Live for More.

Live for More is a Tauranga-based charitable trust that uses surf therapy to reach young people to help them find freedom from their troubled pasts and be inspired to live positive and fulfilling lives. Through their programmes, they transform troubled lives – one wave at a time.

The young people often have had very difficult lives and the majority have experienced a significant amount of trauma. Tai Wātea meaning "Waves of Freedom" gives them the opportunity to re-engage with positive people and healthy activities, allowing them to see their potential and giving their lives meaning and purpose.

Funding is needed so that Live for More can continue to provide the clinical support and counselling to the people they are helping, transforming them into positive productive members of our community.

'Last year we raised just over $84,000 for Good Neighbour so it really is an awesome feel-good challenge,” says Kelsey, who had set herself a goal of $50,000 for 2022 and was delighted to see it passed.

She is rapt to see that already for 2023, $68,195 has been raised for Live for More on the Give a Little page and hopes with 24 hours to go that more people will get behind the fundraiser.

Over the past eight years, The Mount Everest Challenge has raised $547,097 for local charities. In 2015, $95,000 was raised for surf clubs, while in 2016, Homes of Hope was the chosen charity with $45,000 raised.

The list goes on: 2017 - Women's Refuge, $71,000; 2018 - Waipuna Hospice, $120,000; 2019 - Riding for the Disabled, $63,000; 2020 - Rescue Helicopter, $32,800; 2021 - St Johns, $36,200 and last year Good Neighbour received $84,097.

Tauranga's 95.8 The Breeze wants to continue to grow this to support various charities in the Bay of Plenty, but they can only do it if people seize hold of this challenge, whether it's participating in climbing or donating to those who are.

To donate please go to https://givealittle.co.nz/event/everestchallenge2023

The Give A Little page will remain open until April 13 for last minute donations.