Still Running - Dunga Run Spring 2026

Jan and I have just hosted our 65th person with a terminal illness for TimeOut with their loved ones - a free stay at our holiday home at Oakura Bay in Northland.
It's a break away to re-connect and create lasting memories. Cancer counsellors tell us it's the best medicine.
Frank lost his beloved wife Cushla to cancer, and together we've teamed up for the inaugural Dunga Run challenge - an annual fundraiser for TimeOut Charity, who co-ordinate these stays in 260 donated holiday homes around NZ.
$250 is all it takes for TimeOut to co-ordinate a free stay for a family going through the unthinkable.
Please support us with a donation, no matter how small or large - every bit counts, and 100% goes to TimeOut Charity. Search "Dunga Run team Still Running" or donate directly here:
https://dungarun.co.nz/teams/still-running

We’re still hunting for a suitable Dunga that’s under $2k and road legal. A challenge but doable. The commodore has accident damage which would have failed a new WOF so we passed on it. What do you think of the paint job?

Frank Watson and I are getting ready for this.

One of the things that makes Dunga Run different is that we deliberately take the scenic route.

Over the past decade, Doug has organised more than 55 multi-day road trips, covering over 90,000 kilometres across Aotearoa. Along the way, he's discovered countless hidden gems, incredible scenery, and the kind of roads most people drive straight past.

He recently joined RNZ Afternoons to share his passion for exploring New Zealand's back roads. It's that same philosophy that has shaped Dunga Run - taking the scenic route, discovering something new, and enjoying the journey just as much as the destination.

🎙️ Have a listen to the interview: https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2019041598/heading-off-to-northland

❓ Tell us, what's your favourite back road or hidden drive in New Zealand?

🚗 Ready to discover some of them yourself? Registrations for Dunga Run 2026 are now open at https://dungarun.co.nz/

OUR STORY
Doug and Jan met Frank and Cushla at Antenatal Class in 1989 - first-time parents, instant friends. Families grew to three kids each, Easter holidays spent together under canvas at coastal campsites.

In the mid-2000s, Doug and Jan began gifting free week-long holiday home stays to families living with terminal illness - a chance to step away from hospitals and just be together somewhere beautiful. Sixty-three families later, counsellors called it the best medicine they could offer.

In 2017 Doug met Ronda, founder of TimeOut Charity, who offered the same gift nationally. He joined the board in 2018. Today 260 holiday home owners donate stays each year, giving terminally ill families the breaks they need.

Doug's also a driving enthusiast - 55 multi-day road trips with mates, 90,000 km across New Zealand, all raising funds for TimeOut. The Dunga Rally is the next chapter: different adventure, same purpose.

After Cushla passed away from cancer in 2024, Frank navigated the shift from caregiver to life on his own. He and Doug rekindled that spark on 4WD trips through Northland and the South Island high country - rediscovering the back blocks together.

This rally is their next adventure: 2,600 km of remote New Zealand roads, an old car to keep alive, new friendships to be made, all while raising funds for TimeOut's vital work.

Help us reach our $5,000 fundraising target here:

Still Running — Dunga Run Team #1 Still Running · Doug & Frank · Driving for We're rallying for TimeOut Charity, so Kiwi families facing terminal illness can escape to a beautiful holiday home, breathe, and make precious memories together.. Support this team on the Dunga Run charity rally.