Wellington - Former New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns left Monday on a 1,001-kilometre walk to raise awareness of the dangers of unguarded railway level crossings in the country. Cairns's sister Louise died with two other women in 1993 when the train they were in was hit by a cement truck on a crossing near Christchurch.
He set off from Pukekohe, about 50 kilometres south of Auckland, to walk to Wellington and then cross Cook Strait on a rail ferry before completing the walk at the spot where his sister died.
Cairns said he particularly wanted to publicize a rail safety campaign for schoolchildren during his scheduled 36-day walk.
