Kurt Thomson is easy to spot when he’s training for his upcoming charity walk. He’s the one pounding the pavement wearing a pair of gumboots.

The Pāpāmoa resident wants to raise $6000 for the I Am Hope Foundation by traipsing more than 600km around Tauranga during October-November this year in the heavy rubber boots.

“Last year, 617 New Zealanders sadly took their own lives, so I’ll be walking more than 600 kilometres in gumboots for them,” said Thomson.

“I helped out with the Gumboot Friday event at the Mount last year, and this year I wanted to do something bigger to get some attention and raise as much money as possible.”

The charity resonates with Thomson, who’s had his own battle with depression.

“A couple of years ago I was in a dark place,” he said, recounting that it was a 2am call from a friend that pulled him through. “He stayed on the phone with me until the sun came up.

“It was a horrible feeling so that’s why I want to make this walk harder by wearing gumboots. It represents people’s struggles with mental health.”

The original idea was to walk 600km from Auckland to Wellington, starting this October and finishing on November 7, which is Gumboot Friday. “I hadn’t taken into account the motorways,” said Thomson.

As a result, his new plan is to walk the 600km – still “all in gummies” – in his home city of Tauranga from October to November 7 this year – by traipsing an average of 30km a day for 21 days.

Kurt Thomson is going to pound 600km of Tauranga pavement in October-November, for the I Am Hope Foundation. Photo / Bob Tulloch

“Already there have been people reaching out wanting to join me for parts of the walk, so I’ll be posting my starting point each day. It would be cool to have some company.”

With an estimated six hours a day of walking in store, Thomson’s support crew will have plenty of plasters on hand to combat blisters. “And there’ll be plenty of foot massages, too.”

Thomson said the walk also represents the way back to mental health wellness, by taking it step by step.

“When things weren’t going well, I remember thinking that it can’t get better,” said Thomson. “You’ve got to remember that nothing lasts forever – even if you break it down to getting through hour by hour.

“One day at a time is all you need to do in those dark moments because tomorrow is always a new day. If I can raise some money to help people struggling, that would be really great.”

To donate, visit: givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/618-reasons-to-keep-going