17 October 2008 - A Wellington university student is set to become of the youngest Kiwis to walk the length of New Zealand - to raise awareness and research funds for cystic fibrosis.

Emma Daken begins her 70-day 2200km walk from the Cape to the Bluff on November 1. She is scheduled to arrive in Bluff on January 9.

Daken has given up all her Victoria University holiday break so she can complete the arduous walk - which will be like walking a marathon most days.

``Fifty km is the most I have to walk in a day. I have a few shorter days, but I am definitely up for the challenge. I also have 'rest days' so if need be, I can make up ground on those days,'' Daken said today.

``It was difficult to decrease the distance, as I have uni and other commitments to be back for, and the cost alone - so decreasing the distance, and extending the time on the road was not an option.''

Jucy Rentals is sponsoring Daken to walk the length of New Zealand to help raise money towards research to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. Jucy chief executive Tim Alpe said they had no hesitation in offering Emma and her support crew a campa vehicle and a car for the whole 70 day journey.

Daken is in her second year of study at Victoria. Her inspiration for selecting the charity was based on her personal experience with the cystic fibrosis (CF) illness.

``A very close friend of mine suffers from this genetic condition, and through my friendship with her, I have been given first-hand experience of what it means to live with cystic fibrosis. My driver Paul) on the walk also has CF.''

Emma will be visiting many of NZ's large and small towns on her walk and she hopes to get a lot of local support for her campaign.

She has created a fundraising page - http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/EmmaDaken08/ so the public can follow her walk.

Cystic fibrosis occurs in peoples of Caucasian origin, but it is rare in Africans, Asians and Polynesians. In New Zealand, it is estimated about 1 in 25 of the Caucasian population will be a carrier of the abnormal gene, and therefore about 1 in 625 marriages will be between two CF carriers. Of all births in New Zealand, about 1 in 3500 babies born have cystic fibrosis. Currently there are more than 400 children and adults with CF in New Zealand.

Recurrent respiratory infections and pancreatic insufficiency are the major clinical concerns of the condition.

Source: Word of Mouth Media