Naresh on the front of the tandem with Tim Shadbolt, Mayor of Invercargill, on the back seat, on the road to Bluff
Cape Reinga, New Zealand to Bluff, New Zealand

Freedom Seat New Zealand

Biking · Adventures
Distance
3,330 kmThe length of New Zealand
Days
35Of pedalling, 15 January to 8 March 2017
Riders
140Strangers and friends on the back seat
Raised
$55,000For Tearfund NZ's #StandWithHer campaign against trafficking
Route
Cape Reinga to BluffNew Zealand
When
Jan 15, 2017Sunday
Reading
1 min308 words

Cape Reinga to Bluff on a tandem with an empty back seat, and 140 people who took it against human trafficking.

In 2017 I rode the length of New Zealand, Cape Reinga to Bluff, on a tandem bike named Kindness, with the back seat empty. I invited random strangers and friends along the way to take the rear seat and help pedal, against human trafficking, raising money for Tearfund New Zealand’s #StandWithHer campaign. I called it Freedom Seat.

The idea started at a wedding in Alaska, when Ben and Megan got married. Megan’s uncle, Brian Wall, and her brother, Tyler, had a project called The Empty Seat: Brian rigged his tandem with GoPros, picked up strangers and asked them about their lives, and I couldn’t believe how readily they climbed on. Months later, on a brevet in Tennessee, I rode on the back of a tandem for the first time. That was a pretty scary experience, as you can’t see anything in front, and you can’t steer or brake. The feeling of letting a total stranger take control makes a big impact on you. That’s what trafficking takes from a person, and that’s what the empty seat on Kindness stands for.

My goal was to connect with people at a more meaningful level, sharing about the young children who do not have freedom, a story that would make people really care. When the riders stepped off the bike, I hoped they would go home as advocates.

After 35 days of pedalling with 140 strangers and friends, we accomplished more than what we set out to do. My 140th passenger was Tim Shadbolt, Mayor of Invercargill, and we finished at Bluff on International Women’s Day.

What follows is the ride as I posted it at the time.

In the press: Northern Advocate, Nelson Mail, Scoop and the Let’s Talk Life Design podcast.

One of the youngest riders on the back seat.

The journal

1,622 recorded miles over 35 days, January 15 to March 8, 2017.Pick a day, or start at the beginning and read it like a book.

Before the ride

  1. ·A bike named KindnessFreedom Seat goes live, and the first rider at a bus stop.
  2. ·Patience and resilienceNew Year in the mountains of Tongariro, and a storm instead of a sunrise.
  3. ·Will you pedal with me?Two more days.

North Island

  1. 1Spirits Bay to Cape ReingaA cave for a hotel, fog at the lighthouse, and an early start.51.4 mi
  2. 2Prince, Aroha and a Māori songA four-pawed first rider, my first hongi, and a family's blessing.31.4 mi
  3. 3Two flats and MelanieA split tyre, a farm, and a family who opened their home.57.1 mi
  4. 4Haruru Falls to WhangareiBack on the road, and Yvonne by the trash can.50.8 mi
  5. 5Twenty-five ridersFive days, 401.6 km, and so many stories.Rest
  6. 6Auckland, and the greatest donation everA storm, a zero day, and Kevin's five dollars.Rest
  7. 8Little thingsHappiness is cheap.49.4 mi
  8. 9SPF 70Eight to ten hours a day under the New Zealand sun.64 mi
  9. 10Kindness overloadHamilton to Rotorua.71.6 mi
  10. 11Rotorua to TaupoA crazy hot day, brutal hills, and a cliff jump at Bulli Point.65 mi
  11. 12The Desert RoadA billion star hotel below Mt Ruapehu.60.2 mi
  12. 13Waiouru, Taihape and HuntervilleA free sub, a Fijian road angel, and a bed I never asked for.70.1 mi
  13. 14Kindness gives upPalmerston North, a broken wheel, and a school that joined hands.41.8 mi
  14. 15KatrinaPalmerston North to Levin, and a conversation that started with a simple hi.34.7 mi
  15. 16Levin to WellingtonFour riders, and my Kiwi papa.64.6 mi

South Island

  1. 17Ran out of landIsland Bay, the ferry, and the South Island.35.9 mi
  2. 18Blenheim to St ArnaudA Filipino mama, broken spokes, and a hitch to Nelson.66 mi
  3. 20Lewis PassA familiar face at a cafe, and a storm alarm at the top of the pass.72.1 mi
  4. 21ChristchurchLongest dayHalfway in dollars, and 1,200 students.82.5 mi
  5. 22Sarah, and a dead phoneRolleston onward, and a setback that wasn't Kindness's fault.42.9 mi
  6. 23Mackenzie CountryA billion star hotel under a tree.46.1 mi
  7. 24Lake TekapoCowboy camping by the lake.50 mi
  8. 25Sunrise at the Good ShepherdLake Tekapo to Lake Pukaki, a swim, and three flats.Rest
  9. 26Lindis PassA bad day behind, and the summit at sunset.38.9 mi
  10. 27Traffic jamLindis Pass to Wanaka.55.9 mi
  11. 28The Crown RangeRuss and I, and the toughest section of the whole trip.49.2 mi
  12. 29Queenstown to CromwellEdwin's mountain-biking calves.35.6 mi
  13. 30The greatest kindness story everEvery dollar matched, and a 250 km detour.36.6 mi
  14. 31MiddlemarchA beer left on the Otago Rail Trail.77.9 mi
  15. 32Dunedin132 riders, 3,000 km, and Milla, #76.47.8 mi
  16. 33SimonLess than 300 km to go, a storm, and a stranger's spa.48.4 mi
  17. 34We did itDonation alerts in my ears all day, and a sunset into Invercargill.78.8 mi
  18. 35BluffTim Shadbolt on the back seat, on International Women's Day.45.2 mi

After the ride

  1. ·Kindness finds a homePost-adventure blues, a map that sold for $4,000, and Kindness's new life.
Start reading →

The route

WhangareiAucklandHamiltonRotoruaTaupoWellingtonPictonChristchurchWanakaQueenstownDunedinInvercargillCape ReingaBluff
The whole ride from my tracker. Days with a Strava recording show the stretch I rode that day.

Further reading

Biking · Adventures · 2018Indian Pacific Wheel RaceRunning · Adventures · Food · 2015Black Forest cake in the Black ForestAdventures · 2015A night on the Cliffs of MoherBiking · Adventures · 2015The Wild Atlantic Way

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