Having purchased my first ‘grown up’ bike in October and being an all-round unlikely suspect for physical activity, it seemed perfectly natural that I would decide to cycle approximately 4000 miles around New Zealand.
I will be tackling the ride completely unsupported, meaning that I will need to lug every item I decide to pack. Those of you who know my passion for footwear will understand that trimming my entire life down to four pannier bags and a tent will be hard enough. Throw in New Zealand’s undulating landscape and the likelihood of having to sleep in tents and eat plain pasta four times a day and you’ll begin to realise just how crazy this is!
So why do it? I have never undertaken a charity challenge of any kind and have developed a new found passion for exploring the world. Cycling home from Surrey one sunny afternoon, the idea floated into my mind, fully formed. Then I had the idiocy to tell people about it. Now I HAVE to do it.
Choosing a charity was an absolute no brainer for me. Emilie’s charities appeals to me as someone interested in raising awareness of cycle safety but most importantly as a primary school teacher with a heart firmly focused on education. The charity’s mission is to give children and young adults in poorer areas of the world a better start in life and hope for the future – and this can only be achieved through donations. All money received goes to the projects with administration costs being met by the trustees. If you’d like more information about how your money will change lives, please visit the website: http://emiliescharities.org/
To join me for the journey and to check that I really am earning those very generous donations, follow me on Twitter @nzbybicycle or check out my blog pages.
Thank you so much – Elisha
NZ by Bicycle 
Dear Ellie,
I was, (to say the least), quite infatuated by your intended adventure in N.Z., it is daunting to think that you intend cycling around the continent without any accompanying safety vehicles or company, all I can say is, what a wonderful idea of yours and I want to wish you all the very best and do try to keep safe.
With love from Uncle Roy in Australia.
By the way, when do you intend to start your adventure, you need to take the climate into consideration.
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Goodness gracious me, Uncle Roy. How lovely to hear from you.
I am sure that I will meet friendly faces along the way and am already beginning to build up contacts in NZ.
I will begin in December – my luggage will mostly be bottles of sunblock.
Hopefully I will finish in good time so that I can pop over for a visit x
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