It may be a gloomy, wet day in the North Island but firefighters from the Bay are not letting the wet weather dampen their spirits are they make their way up the SkyTower.

Teams from all over the country, including Tauranga, Mount Maunganui and Te Puke will be donning full firefighting gear to run up 1103 steps of the SkyTower.

Firefighters are making their way up the SkyTower, one stair at a time.

Each year firefighters from around New Zealand, Australia and the USA compete in the gruelling event which aims to raise funds for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand.

As of yesterday, $52,638.35 was raised by five firefighters from Te Puke, one from Ashburton, one from Taupo and one from Kawerau after they completed their Bluff to Auckland's big landmark in the 12 days leading up to the SkyTower stair challenge.

In total, $980,052 has been raised for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand.

The funds raised will be used to support work in the community including core services such as personalised support for patients and their families.

This includes running support groups, programmes, hospital visits and being there at the end of the phone to answer questions and concerns patients and families may have and provide information about their condition.

LBC also provides funding for research into finding cures and better treatments, raising awareness of these diseases and advocating on behalf of patients.

People can still donate by clicking here.