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Bluff Queenstown Greymouth Wellington Taumarunui Auckland Cape Reinga Headlines 7 If you have a community fundraising project in mind, whether it be a bake sale, fitness challenge, sausage sizzle, mufti day or something else – please visit: neurological.org.nz/community- fundraising or get in touch with us: events@neurological.org.nz. By helping us to raise awareness and funds, you can support neurological research and become an ambassador for ‘Raising Hope’. Never fundraised before? No worries! We have heaps of resources available including a fundraising toolkit filled with everything you will need. “Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible” – St. Francis of Assisi day to day from what you had on your bike. Tour Aotearoa is a bikepacking event that requires riders to be self- sufficient. You can use cafes and motels, though I elected to carry a tent and cooker. This enabled me to stay in some unique places. One being on the Bridge to Nowhere (located on the Whanganui River). What was the biggest challenge of your journey? The greatest challenge was the hills. I’m a big guy (127kgs) with my bike and gear weighing in at 28kgs. That’s a lot of mass to get up 40,000m of ascent. On the positive side going down was a heap of fun! Some of us can only imagine it, but what was it really like to be riding a bike for more than a month straight? It was an extremely refreshing and simple life. No day was the same. The slower pace of travel meant I had much more time to take in the scenery and gain a greater appreciation of the communities I was cycling through. This trip highlighted how much we miss when rushing from one place to another. Tour Aotearoa 2020 was the perfect example of taking time to enjoy the journey. The camaraderie of other riders, meeting new people and reacquainting with old friends were also standouts. It’s intriguing how many people stop for a chat when you’re on a bike. What changes have you noticed in yourself since completing Tour Aotearoa? It has been particularly difficult to settle back to the home routine. COVID-19 was a distant media item when departing on 20 February. With very little news when cycling, it was quite a shock to move from a simple life to Level-4 lockdown over the course of 4 days. A greater appreciation of what New Zealand has to offer was also gained. Sometimes we forget what a stunning backyard we have and how lucky we are to be Kiwis. Any fundraising advice for those trying to raise money for a cause? Fundraising for a cause doesn’t need a huge event. Every little bit counts and if you are passionate about the cause, others will see that and support you. What advice do you have for those wanting to complete an extreme challenge such as Tour Aotearoa? Take each day at a time and break it down to bite sized pieces. Do not look too far ahead. A wise person once said that if you want to eat an elephant; do it one bite at a time.