They’ve done it!

Forbes’ Tri-Hard trekkers have completed the five-day trek for vision in New Zealand and raised more than $36,000 for Vision Australia thanks to incredible community support.

Inspirational, is how locals Michelle Quigley and Leigh Bartholomaeus described this latest venture in a 40-year friendship.

“We didn’t know what to expect and it just exceeded all our expectations,” Michelle said.

The Abel Tasman walk takes you through the lush rainforest and beaches of New Zealand – it's absolutely spectacular.

But it’s rated a Grade 3 of 5 in terms of challenge – and it’s a far cry from the flat pathways around Lake Forbes the two normally walk.

Neither of the local ladies had taken on anything like this trek before but once Michelle saw it promoted through Vision Australia’s social media she was determined to give it a go.

It’s 11 years since Michelle and her sister Nell were diagnosed with the genetic condition Cone Dystrophy, a progressive eye condition which affects the central vision.

“I said this would be so good: I could fundraise and give back to Vision Australia coz they’ve been so good,” Michelle said.

Vision Australia has been invaluable in raising awareness of and letting her try the sorts of supports that are available – from smart glasses that read to you, to a device that sits on the top of your mug to let you know the boiling water is reaching the top when you’re making a cuppa.

“I went (to Vision Australia) fairly early in my diagnosis and they set me up with different aids that I needed,” Michelle said.

Leigh put her hand up to join her on the trek and their training and fundraising began.

They added weighty backpacks to their walks around the Lake and headed to Nangar National Park on a couple of occasions to try to get some hill training in.

On the fundraising front, their highly successful Variety Night earlier this year raised more than $21,000 for the cause.

But the incredible community support didn’t stop there: among the donations that have continued to come in, our Handicraft Centre donated $1000.

That news came through while Michelle and Leigh were in New Zealand and really made an impact on everyone involved in the trek.

Michelle was one of five explorers with low vision to take on the trek, one with her guide dog, and Leigh one of seven support trekkers. They had a trio of local guides.

It was an incredible experience, inspiring the word both Michelle and Leigh put forward repeatedly as they try to sum up the incredible landscape and incredible people they travelled it with.

Soaking in their incredible surrounds and spectacular landscapes of the trek was a very grounding experience.

So was connecting with the other trekkers, who came from different areas of Australia and had a range of levels of vision impairment.

Navigating the trail together - issuing verbal warnings of every rock, tree root and drop – was awareness-raising in itself.

Hearing some of the others' experiences has sparked a new level of awareness of how far we still have to go to be inclusive.

The group was able to share a lot of their knowledge with each other but also a lot of laughter.

Michelle and Leigh have made new friends for life, and the group is already looking at future opportunities to connect.

You can find out more or donate online at vision-australia.grassrootz.com/abeltasman-2025/tri-hard-trekkers