When Eleanor Lima Matos first walked into the Fraser Street Hospice shop for earrings, she could have never imagined she would be walking back out with her ticket to a helicopter tour of the Western Bay of Plenty.

Eleanor, and her husband Rangel, are both the lucky winners of the Waipuna Hospice Bucket List Challenge which meant today the pair were able to take a scenic helicopter flight around the region.

The challenge was run at Waipuna Hospice's Awareness Week Road Show, which encouraged the public to come along, learn more about the organisation and complete an entry form detailing their bucket list items.

Through a random draw, Eleanor's details were drawn, and with the support of Aerius Helicopters and Waipuna Hospice she has been able to complete her bucket list item of a helicopter flight.

The pair were treated to a half hour flight on board a Robinson 44 travelling about 100 ft above the ground along the coast to Maketu, past Te Puke and the Papamoa Hills, to Greerton, Omokoroa, Matakana Island, Mauao and back to the hangar on Jean Batten Drive.

Eleanor says it was an amazing experience.

'I couldn't believe how little space there is between you and the ground below. I loved seeing the colour of the ocean from above and the surfers in the water.”

'We were so impressed by how beautiful the entire area is,” says Rangel.

To make the occasion even more special, the pair are one day off celebrating their first wedding anniversary.

'To be celebrating that up in the air was amazing, it just makes it all that more special.”

Eleanor says they first met in Wellington, before making the move to Tauranga.

'I've always wanted to do something like this, but I've never really lived in places where it was an option.

'We're both real ocean lovers so to see the sea from the sky was so beautiful, I'll definitely be thinking about how it all looks from above the next time I'm swimming in the ocean.”

She says she's glad she entered the competition.

'My belief is that if you don't put yourself forward for anything, you'll never have a chance. If you don't act, you don't achieve – so I'm glad I entered.”

Aerius manager and pilot Dave Rayner says the pair aren't the first to have ticked off a bucket list item with them.

'It's quite common and we always find it really valuable helping people to complete their wish list, especially when they're quite nervous.

'It's something not everyone gets to experience so when they do, they end up loving it.”

He says for Aerius owners Graeme and Karen McKenzie the decision to come on board and help Eleanor and Waipuna Hospice with the day, was a personal one.

'Karen's father had been looked after by hospice right before he passed away, so this is their way to give back and a great way to support the people who helped support her family.”

Waipuna Hospice provides specialist medical care for patients living with a life-limiting illness, and support services for them and their families.

Its geographical area covers Waihi Beach to Paengaroa and while its focus is on Hospice at Home, it also has a nine-bed Inpatient Unit for short term admissions and a Day Services Clinic. Its services are provided seven days a week, 24-hours a day.

'You will often hear the term palliative care which means alleviating without curing,” says marketing and communications manager Amandeep Kung. 'Hospice specialises in providing palliative care – symptom control and pain management where cure is no longer an option.

'We also offer support services to patients and their support networks whether this be family, whanau, friends, neighbours, or staff at rest homes and hospital.”

Hospice staff and volunteers care for each person as an individual and take into account the person's physical, emotional, social, cultural and spiritual needs.

In addition to palliative nursing care and specialist medical support, it provides respite care, practical support such as meal preparation, loan equipment, bereavement support and a chaplaincy service.

'This year we expect to care for 1000 patients and provide support services for their families.

'Last year our nurses made more than 14,320 visits and more than 20,000 phone calls to patients in the community.

'We have 110 staff working in a variety of roles and around 740 volunteers support all components of our service."

Waipuna Hospice is not funded by government, says Amandeep.

"While some of our services are contracted from the District Health Board. We need to raise $3.7 million in the coming financial year to meet the shortfall in our operating costs. That's a little over $71,000 per week."