Blade NZ: A Travel Documentary

By Matt

PledgeMe.Project

Film,



NZ $4,122 pledged


101 people pledged


Closed


NZ $4,000 minimum target


100 100% Complete

This campaign was successful and closed on 23/05/2014 at 2:45 PM.

Make a Pledge

About

Blade NZ: A Travel Documentary

Project 2014-04-15 10:56:43 +1200

CONCEPT

In April 2014 we are backpacking the length of New Zealand, carrying only our bags, camera gear and rollerblades. This project will provide a fresh and comic approach to travel in Aotearoa. We will be filming our expedition and creating light hearted, personal and character driven documentary webisodes with the overarching aim of promoting New Zealand as an international tourist destination. We are not professional bladers, far from it, and our struggle and commentary throughout the journey will provide a high level of entertainment.

 WHO ARE WE?

We are Josh and Matt, long time friends who share a similar sense of humour and a passion for travel, music and filmmaking. Josh works in tourism marketing while Matt works in video production, so this project is the perfect medium for collaboration. We came up with the idea of Blade NZ over four years ago while travelling together, and since then we have been actively planning the trip, whilst acquiring the skills required to make this documentary.

GOAL

Our goal is to follow the road wherever it takes us, travelling on a backpackers’ budget. We want to meet as many people as possible along the way, while showcasing the unique NZ environment.

We already have the professional equipment and skills required to successfully produce a high-quality and entertaining documentary, however we need additional funding to cover living costs while on the road, so we're inviting people to collaborate on this project and share in our experience. We are 100% committed to making this project happen, in fact, as you read this we are already on the road, our journey starting at Cape Reinga this week.

Please check out the rewards on this page and support our epic journey across New Zealand. Follow our facebook page to stay up to date with our travels:

www.facebook.com/bladenewzealand
#bladenz

 

Comments

Updates 6

Blade NZ 2015 Update

23/07/2015 at 11:41 AM

Hi everyone,

It's been almost a year since we began our journey down the country on rollerblades. What an epic trip it was. We have spent the past few months going through our footage, shaping the story and editing. Finally, now we are close! 

We have around 16 episodes covering the whole country with some incredibly entertaining and beautiful footage. We really had no idea what we would come back with but we're both excited to share our adventure.

In the past couple of days we have put out a trailer of whats to come in Blade NZ, which has gone down well. It was featured on The Crowd Goes Wild last night and a few other places online:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destinations/nz/70441854/epic-blade-journey-made-into-travel-series

http://matadornetwork.com/tv/watch-two-kiwis-dont-know-rollerblade-rollerblade-across-new-zealand/

If you enjoy our trailer please head to our facebook page (www.facebook.com/bladenewzealand) and give us a like, as the more likes we get, the more momentum we will have behind this thing!

Hopefully everyone who ordered a canvas has received one by now, if not please flick an email through to [email protected]. Also now is the time to send your selfies in if you would like to be featured in the credits, so send them through to the same email.

We are very grateful for the support received from everyone who pledged, and it really was amazing just how many coffees we could afford during the trip, we couldn't have done it without you. Just kidding, the money mainly went on beer.

Thanks,

Matt and Josh

 

 

 

 

Blade NZ - Upper North Island Update

23/05/2014 at 12:47 PM

Wow, what a crazy adventure so far.  It’s amazing how much fun you can have in your own country, and how much you can really push yourself if you try.

After seven different rides via hitchhiking and one night sleeping on the side of the road, we finally make it to Cape Reinga.  Neither Josh or myself have done much hitchhiking before but we learn pretty quickly that you spend a lot of time waiting on the side of the road.

image

imageLife on the road

There is a common theme with people that pick up hitchhikers – they have usually hitched themselves sometime in their past. We have so much gear that we can’t fit our blades in our packs, so they dangle off to the side. When we tell people that we are traveling from Cape Reinga to the Bluff we get mixed responses, from ‘what is wrong with you?’, to ‘that sounds like a cool adventure’.

We finally make to Cape Reinga, and we’re both excited to start this epic adventure. Cape Reigna is a famous spot, where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. More importantly, there is some nice concrete around these parts so we strap on the blades and get a roll on.

image

Blading at the Cape

We start blading towards the nearest DOC campsite.  There are DOC sites spotted all over New Zealand, and most of them cost next to nothing to camp at. It’s a good feeling to finally be on the road heading south, and although our blading skills aren’t the best, we still manage to make cover some ground. We finally arrive at Tapotupotu Bay and its beautiful.  

We establish pretty quickly that camping at this time of the year is not ideal, and the first night is freezing. I’m wearing a polyprop, a woolen jersey, beanie, woolen socks, a one-piece ski suit and it’s still incredible cold.  I don’t know how we are going to survive when we get down south.  On the plus side, traveling at this time of year is a lot quieter and there are less people around. 

image

DOC Campsite: Tapotupotu Bay

We decide to blade Ninety Mile Beach the next day. When we arrive it becomes clear that Ninety Mile beach is not ‘blader friendly’, and the wheels are hardly spinning on the coarse sand. Ninety Mile beach is an official NZ highway, which is cool, but NZ Transport could you please sort out some decent concrete for bladers?

image

Locals catching some kaimoana for tea near the Cape 

Our next stop is Maitai Bay, which is another wicked DOC campsite.  We pick a spot that overlooks the whole bay and cook some noodles. The thing with camping in winter is it gets dark so early so we’re  in bed at about 8pm. 

image

We begin blading again in the morning from Maitai Bay. Amazingly I haven’t fallen over on the blades yet, but  I can’t say the same about Josh. At the moment he is slamming about four times a day on average. Our packs are really heavy which doesn’t help.

We begin to hitchhike and have some painfully long waits. Right on dusk we get offered a ride from John and Tiffany. John is smoking a cigarette, rocking a huge beard and his eyes are hidden behind sunglasses. The car looks atrocious, and is the exact car type of car that you would see on Police Ten Seven. These guys seem dodgy, and we’re reluctant to get in the car. However it’s getting dark and we don’t have many options. We get in and start driving. John offers for us to stay at his house, which is incredibly kind, but we are still trying to suss out whether it’s safe or not. We decide to stay, as we figure we can get some pretty entertaining footage with these guys. John is a possum trapper, and struggles to get through day by day on the money he earns. As we head deeper into the bush towards their house it definitely feels like something out of a horror film. 

John invites us to come up and set the possum traps with him. We go up into the bush and start setting his traps. He plucks the fur and sells the carcasses for dog meat. We have to keep quiet, as some of the land isn’t his. Nothing like a bit of possum poaching to kick off our trip.

John reckons that possum is good to eat and more kiwis should do it.  We get some great footage and interviews with John.That evening John generously offers some possum meat to put with our noodles but we decline.

The next morning we go up and get the possums with John. He has caught three, which equates to about 18 dollars. Not much considering it’s taken about four hours work. John bashes the possums on the head with a hammer to kill them, and it’s hard to watch. By now we know John pretty well and he opens up to us a bit more. He tells us that he has served seven years jail time for smashing someone up with a hammer and admits that he has had problems with addiction in the past. 

image

John showing Josh how its done

We’re deep in the bush in the middle of the North Island, poaching possums off someone else’s land with a ex junkie possum trapper who has spent seven years in jail for almost killing a man. This is exactly the sort of situations we were hoping to get in to. It’s a sad tale, and although he is holding a hammer with his hands covered in blood, we feel completely safe with John. 

It really ‘hammers’ home the difference in living standards and socio economic status in NZ. There is a whole side to poverty and struggle here, which is swept under the carpet. Here’s this guy who can hardly afford to eat and getting by catching possums, who still picks us up and offers up his home for us to stay in. Incredible. We leave John’s with a new outlook on life and continue south.

We arrive at Paihia, which is a touristy town on the east coast of NZ and a gateway to the Bay of Islands. The weather packs in and our tent leaks which is gutting, but what can you do. We spend a day blading and amazingly we’re allowed to blade at the treaty of Waitangi grounds.  The ground is slippery and Josh bails several times. 

Our next stop is Tutukaka, a place where people base themselves to go diving at the Poor Knights.  The clear water and abundance of marine life in the marine reserve is a massive drawcard to visiting tourists. This is our first dive in the cold NZ waters. Its so amazing to see snapper cruising along behind us.

image

image

image

Diving at Poor Knights

As we’re hitching out of Tutukaka we meet a pirate who is trying to hitchhike to Auckland. He gives us a bit of abuse, as he is a veteran hitchhiker, but also bit of a wanker. 

image

We arrive in Auckland and its it’s straight on the Fuller Ferry to Waiheke. The sun is going down and we’re chuffed to get to Waiheke. Such an epic spot!

image

On board the Fullers Ferry

Tonight we’re going to try couchsurfing, a popular option for travellers looking to meet real locals as opposed to other travelers, which is usually the case in hostels and camping grounds.  We have both done a bit of couchsurfing however never in NZ.  We’re under the impression we are staying with a local builder named Chris, however soon after arriving it is quickly evident that Chris the builder no longer exists, and we are instead staying with Christa the transsexual.

image

Josh and Christa

Fortunately, filming a real-life transsexual has been a goal of ours, and having the opportunity of staying an entire night is a huge bonus.  Christa is a hospitable host and she makes us feel right at home.  She shares some interesting stories, providing an insight into the life of a previously quiet and respected member of community who one day decided to throw all that away and become the flamboyant tranny she always knew was inside her.

The next day we are feeling a bit seedy as we got a little over excited and drank too much with Christa.  It was worth it, it’s not every day you get a chance to drink rum with a transsexual builder, and there was no way we were going to throw away such an amazing opportunity.  It does however make our morning quite a struggle.  We strap on the blades and start off on a long blade across the island to Man o War vineyard for some winetasting.    

On the way we stop for a break in Oneroa, the main town on the island.  There’s a diverse range of people who live and visit Waiheke, and we enjoy taking some time to meet some characters.  We meet a friendly cowboy busker who gives us some handy advice on where some places we should visit and also plays us a song. 

image

Cowboy

It is then time to move on, aiming for the Coromandel Peninsula.  As always, we give blading a solid attempt however once the ankles are sore and Josh has had a few bails, we chuck out the thumbs and hitch. 

Before long we arrive at Hot Water Beach, a popular tourist destination due to hot springs located on the shore.  We immediately attempt to dig a hole to rest our bruised and battered bodies, however finding a spot that is actually warm proves more difficult than we thought. Instead we decide we can’t be bothered and steal someone else’s while they aren’t looking. 

image

image

Beautiful Coromandel Pensinsula

Cathedral Cove is next on the list, and is possibly the most popular tourist attraction on the peninsula.  Josh has been told that the track down to the beach is perfect for blading so we strap up and start rolling.  Unfortunately Josh has been misinformed, and the track turns out to be treacherous and almost unbladable.  After around two and a half hours, a lost wheel and Josh bailing over a dozen times, we finally make it to the beach, just after the sun has set and everyone has left.  It is still a stunning view. 

We hitch and blade our way around the peninsula and manage to organise to do some WWOOF’ing at a local farm located on the Hauraki Plains.  WWOOF’ing stands for ‘Worldwide Workers on Organic Farm’s’, and is another popular option for travellers looking to meet real locals, especially those on a tight budget. We get given a few farm jobs to do but get a little bit distracted and end up giving each other mullets and make a music videoto cotton eye joe instead.

image

A great day but not much farm work has been done.

image

The lady kicks us off the farm but we still manage to sneak in a couple of brews as the sun goes down. 

Good times on the blades indeed.

#bladenz

 

 

Rural Blading

14/05/2014 at 1:00 PM

9 days left on our campaign and we've been blading hard

30/04/2014 at 6:21 AM

Off to Cape Reigna now, thanks for the support so far and check out this video we put together.

Mullet Bowlcut and Tattoo Claimed

26/04/2014 at 9:23 PM


Stoked that our $200 crowd funding option has been claimed and we will now be rocking a mullet and a bowlcut, while our blading coach gets a rollerblade tattoo. 

yeow.

Blade NZ: April 2014 Update

24/04/2014 at 5:00 PM

Since packing my blades into my backpack and leaving sunny Nelson on a one way flight, the blading squadron has been hard at it. Josh and I decided a while back that literally rollerblading the whole country is a wee bit insane, so we decided that we would use any means of help and transport that comes our way. We’re counting on the generosity of kiwis and fellow travelers to help us along.

Although we’ve been talking about this trip for almost four years, Blade NZ only became a reality when we got together at Port Waikato and had a few beers. Port Waikato is a beautiful place on the west coast of the North Island, about an hour and a half out of Auckland.  It’s here in a small bach where we have been busy planning and researching for our travels.

imageimage

Wild and Raw Port Waikato

When we came up with the idea of Blade NZ, we initially thought we would have a support crew. But the reality is, having another person assisting us will make things too easy. We want this trip to be difficult and hard work, as we believe that only when we’re struggling will the genuine and interesting experiences emerge.

Now it is just us, our blades and our backpacks. We don’t know what’s ahead of us, but who really does when they go travelling? That’s the exciting part. 

image

Getting the bags packed and bearings lubed up

While preparing for Blade NZ we decided that we would do the 48hr film festival, in order to get into the swing of things and get in front of and behind the camera. Our genre was time-travel and we managed to whack together a nice wee film. Best of all, we managed to get rollerblades into the movie. Watch it here.

image
Screenshot from our 48hr film ‘The Lost Blader’

Next we filmed our crowd funding video. Luckily I had an array of nice footage from my previous travels to pick nice shots from, and the West Coast of auckland provided some incredible picturesque sunsets.

imageimageimage

Sunsets at Port Waikato, NZ

We then had a skype catchup with our blading coach and guide JT, who is helping us blade through NZ. His primary advice for us was ‘get vertical’. Thanks mate.

image

Skype advice from our blading coach JT in London

Since launching our crowdfunding campaign, we’re absolutely chuffed with the response we’ve had, and at the time of writing we are already halfway towards our overarching goal of $4000. It’s so cool getting other people involved in the project, and Josh and I will be blading hard to make every dollar count.

image

Backpack, Camera and Blades

We have our bags packed and are sussing some last minute details before we hit the road. Today for the first time we tried on our full backpacks while wearing the blades. It’s tougher than we thought. Josh said that wearing a heavy pack while blading is like being a really obese person on wheels, and with the extra weight we’re bound to pick up some serious speed when we go down hills.

image

The boys on the blades

We’re incredibly pumped and excited about the journey ahead. If anyone has a couch we can crash on, knows an interesting person that should feature in our doco, or can hook us up with any tourism venture or local attraction, please get in touch with us through our facebook page.

Here we come, NZ, 8 wheels at a time. #bladenz #foreverblading 

    Pledgers 101

    Paul Jackson
    24/04/2014 at 3:41pm
    Elliot Riley
    23/04/2014 at 8:26pm
    Ashleigh Harris
    23/04/2014 at 7:07pm
    Ella Kroch
    23/04/2014 at 5:22pm
    Emma Verry
    23/04/2014 at 4:37pm
    Camilla Lau
    23/04/2014 at 1:59pm
    Tom Heaphy
    23/04/2014 at 12:40pm
    Josh
    23/04/2014 at 12:00pm
    Faye Sherlaw
    23/04/2014 at 11:42am
    Jackie Shaw
    23/04/2014 at 11:14am
    Danielle Prestidge
    23/04/2014 at 9:11am
    Melissa
    23/04/2014 at 8:37am
    Maiara Monsores
    23/04/2014 at 8:10am
    Michael Paul Houston
    23/04/2014 at 7:58am
    Francis Turner
    23/04/2014 at 4:50am
    Si Earle
    23/04/2014 at 4:48am
    Sally Hine
    23/04/2014 at 4:33am
    Adam Harris
    23/04/2014 at 1:21am
    Lee Tinirau Kereama Timutimu
    22/04/2014 at 11:49pm
    julie
    22/04/2014 at 11:23pm
    Damien McDowell
    22/04/2014 at 10:45pm
    Helen Dewar
    22/04/2014 at 9:15pm
    Ben Sullivan
    22/04/2014 at 8:49pm
    Cam Leadle
    22/04/2014 at 7:56pm
    Sam Jenkins Sinclair
    22/04/2014 at 7:47pm
    JT
    22/04/2014 at 6:05pm
    Nikki Earle
    22/04/2014 at 4:51pm
    Anonymous pledger
    22/04/2014 at 3:50pm
    Kimberley
    22/04/2014 at 3:45pm
    Irene
    22/04/2014 at 3:41pm

    Blade NZ: A Travel Documentary

    Project 2014-04-15 10:56:43 +1200

    CONCEPT

    In April 2014 we are backpacking the length of New Zealand, carrying only our bags, camera gear and rollerblades. This project will provide a fresh and comic approach to travel in Aotearoa. We will be filming our expedition and creating light hearted, personal and character driven documentary webisodes with the overarching aim of promoting New Zealand as an international tourist destination. We are not professional bladers, far from it, and our struggle and commentary throughout the journey will provide a high level of entertainment.

     WHO ARE WE?

    We are Josh and Matt, long time friends who share a similar sense of humour and a passion for travel, music and filmmaking. Josh works in tourism marketing while Matt works in video production, so this project is the perfect medium for collaboration. We came up with the idea of Blade NZ over four years ago while travelling together, and since then we have been actively planning the trip, whilst acquiring the skills required to make this documentary.

    GOAL

    Our goal is to follow the road wherever it takes us, travelling on a backpackers’ budget. We want to meet as many people as possible along the way, while showcasing the unique NZ environment.

    We already have the professional equipment and skills required to successfully produce a high-quality and entertaining documentary, however we need additional funding to cover living costs while on the road, so we're inviting people to collaborate on this project and share in our experience. We are 100% committed to making this project happen, in fact, as you read this we are already on the road, our journey starting at Cape Reinga this week.

    Please check out the rewards on this page and support our epic journey across New Zealand. Follow our facebook page to stay up to date with our travels:

    www.facebook.com/bladenewzealand
    #bladenz

     

    Comments

    Blade NZ 2015 Update

    23/07/2015 at 11:41 AM

    Hi everyone,

    It's been almost a year since we began our journey down the country on rollerblades. What an epic trip it was. We have spent the past few months going through our footage, shaping the story and editing. Finally, now we are close! 

    We have around 16 episodes covering the whole country with some incredibly entertaining and beautiful footage. We really had no idea what we would come back with but we're both excited to share our adventure.

    In the past couple of days we have put out a trailer of whats to come in Blade NZ, which has gone down well. It was featured on The Crowd Goes Wild last night and a few other places online:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/destinations/nz/70441854/epic-blade-journey-made-into-travel-series

    http://matadornetwork.com/tv/watch-two-kiwis-dont-know-rollerblade-rollerblade-across-new-zealand/

    If you enjoy our trailer please head to our facebook page (www.facebook.com/bladenewzealand) and give us a like, as the more likes we get, the more momentum we will have behind this thing!

    Hopefully everyone who ordered a canvas has received one by now, if not please flick an email through to [email protected]. Also now is the time to send your selfies in if you would like to be featured in the credits, so send them through to the same email.

    We are very grateful for the support received from everyone who pledged, and it really was amazing just how many coffees we could afford during the trip, we couldn't have done it without you. Just kidding, the money mainly went on beer.

    Thanks,

    Matt and Josh

     

     

     

     

    Blade NZ - Upper North Island Update

    23/05/2014 at 12:47 PM

    Wow, what a crazy adventure so far.  It’s amazing how much fun you can have in your own country, and how much you can really push yourself if you try.

    After seven different rides via hitchhiking and one night sleeping on the side of the road, we finally make it to Cape Reinga.  Neither Josh or myself have done much hitchhiking before but we learn pretty quickly that you spend a lot of time waiting on the side of the road.

    image

    imageLife on the road

    There is a common theme with people that pick up hitchhikers – they have usually hitched themselves sometime in their past. We have so much gear that we can’t fit our blades in our packs, so they dangle off to the side. When we tell people that we are traveling from Cape Reinga to the Bluff we get mixed responses, from ‘what is wrong with you?’, to ‘that sounds like a cool adventure’.

    We finally make to Cape Reinga, and we’re both excited to start this epic adventure. Cape Reigna is a famous spot, where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. More importantly, there is some nice concrete around these parts so we strap on the blades and get a roll on.

    image

    Blading at the Cape

    We start blading towards the nearest DOC campsite.  There are DOC sites spotted all over New Zealand, and most of them cost next to nothing to camp at. It’s a good feeling to finally be on the road heading south, and although our blading skills aren’t the best, we still manage to make cover some ground. We finally arrive at Tapotupotu Bay and its beautiful.  

    We establish pretty quickly that camping at this time of the year is not ideal, and the first night is freezing. I’m wearing a polyprop, a woolen jersey, beanie, woolen socks, a one-piece ski suit and it’s still incredible cold.  I don’t know how we are going to survive when we get down south.  On the plus side, traveling at this time of year is a lot quieter and there are less people around. 

    image

    DOC Campsite: Tapotupotu Bay

    We decide to blade Ninety Mile Beach the next day. When we arrive it becomes clear that Ninety Mile beach is not ‘blader friendly’, and the wheels are hardly spinning on the coarse sand. Ninety Mile beach is an official NZ highway, which is cool, but NZ Transport could you please sort out some decent concrete for bladers?

    image

    Locals catching some kaimoana for tea near the Cape 

    Our next stop is Maitai Bay, which is another wicked DOC campsite.  We pick a spot that overlooks the whole bay and cook some noodles. The thing with camping in winter is it gets dark so early so we’re  in bed at about 8pm. 

    image

    We begin blading again in the morning from Maitai Bay. Amazingly I haven’t fallen over on the blades yet, but  I can’t say the same about Josh. At the moment he is slamming about four times a day on average. Our packs are really heavy which doesn’t help.

    We begin to hitchhike and have some painfully long waits. Right on dusk we get offered a ride from John and Tiffany. John is smoking a cigarette, rocking a huge beard and his eyes are hidden behind sunglasses. The car looks atrocious, and is the exact car type of car that you would see on Police Ten Seven. These guys seem dodgy, and we’re reluctant to get in the car. However it’s getting dark and we don’t have many options. We get in and start driving. John offers for us to stay at his house, which is incredibly kind, but we are still trying to suss out whether it’s safe or not. We decide to stay, as we figure we can get some pretty entertaining footage with these guys. John is a possum trapper, and struggles to get through day by day on the money he earns. As we head deeper into the bush towards their house it definitely feels like something out of a horror film. 

    John invites us to come up and set the possum traps with him. We go up into the bush and start setting his traps. He plucks the fur and sells the carcasses for dog meat. We have to keep quiet, as some of the land isn’t his. Nothing like a bit of possum poaching to kick off our trip.

    John reckons that possum is good to eat and more kiwis should do it.  We get some great footage and interviews with John.That evening John generously offers some possum meat to put with our noodles but we decline.

    The next morning we go up and get the possums with John. He has caught three, which equates to about 18 dollars. Not much considering it’s taken about four hours work. John bashes the possums on the head with a hammer to kill them, and it’s hard to watch. By now we know John pretty well and he opens up to us a bit more. He tells us that he has served seven years jail time for smashing someone up with a hammer and admits that he has had problems with addiction in the past. 

    image

    John showing Josh how its done

    We’re deep in the bush in the middle of the North Island, poaching possums off someone else’s land with a ex junkie possum trapper who has spent seven years in jail for almost killing a man. This is exactly the sort of situations we were hoping to get in to. It’s a sad tale, and although he is holding a hammer with his hands covered in blood, we feel completely safe with John. 

    It really ‘hammers’ home the difference in living standards and socio economic status in NZ. There is a whole side to poverty and struggle here, which is swept under the carpet. Here’s this guy who can hardly afford to eat and getting by catching possums, who still picks us up and offers up his home for us to stay in. Incredible. We leave John’s with a new outlook on life and continue south.

    We arrive at Paihia, which is a touristy town on the east coast of NZ and a gateway to the Bay of Islands. The weather packs in and our tent leaks which is gutting, but what can you do. We spend a day blading and amazingly we’re allowed to blade at the treaty of Waitangi grounds.  The ground is slippery and Josh bails several times. 

    Our next stop is Tutukaka, a place where people base themselves to go diving at the Poor Knights.  The clear water and abundance of marine life in the marine reserve is a massive drawcard to visiting tourists. This is our first dive in the cold NZ waters. Its so amazing to see snapper cruising along behind us.

    image

    image

    image

    Diving at Poor Knights

    As we’re hitching out of Tutukaka we meet a pirate who is trying to hitchhike to Auckland. He gives us a bit of abuse, as he is a veteran hitchhiker, but also bit of a wanker. 

    image

    We arrive in Auckland and its it’s straight on the Fuller Ferry to Waiheke. The sun is going down and we’re chuffed to get to Waiheke. Such an epic spot!

    image

    On board the Fullers Ferry

    Tonight we’re going to try couchsurfing, a popular option for travellers looking to meet real locals as opposed to other travelers, which is usually the case in hostels and camping grounds.  We have both done a bit of couchsurfing however never in NZ.  We’re under the impression we are staying with a local builder named Chris, however soon after arriving it is quickly evident that Chris the builder no longer exists, and we are instead staying with Christa the transsexual.

    image

    Josh and Christa

    Fortunately, filming a real-life transsexual has been a goal of ours, and having the opportunity of staying an entire night is a huge bonus.  Christa is a hospitable host and she makes us feel right at home.  She shares some interesting stories, providing an insight into the life of a previously quiet and respected member of community who one day decided to throw all that away and become the flamboyant tranny she always knew was inside her.

    The next day we are feeling a bit seedy as we got a little over excited and drank too much with Christa.  It was worth it, it’s not every day you get a chance to drink rum with a transsexual builder, and there was no way we were going to throw away such an amazing opportunity.  It does however make our morning quite a struggle.  We strap on the blades and start off on a long blade across the island to Man o War vineyard for some winetasting.    

    On the way we stop for a break in Oneroa, the main town on the island.  There’s a diverse range of people who live and visit Waiheke, and we enjoy taking some time to meet some characters.  We meet a friendly cowboy busker who gives us some handy advice on where some places we should visit and also plays us a song. 

    image

    Cowboy

    It is then time to move on, aiming for the Coromandel Peninsula.  As always, we give blading a solid attempt however once the ankles are sore and Josh has had a few bails, we chuck out the thumbs and hitch. 

    Before long we arrive at Hot Water Beach, a popular tourist destination due to hot springs located on the shore.  We immediately attempt to dig a hole to rest our bruised and battered bodies, however finding a spot that is actually warm proves more difficult than we thought. Instead we decide we can’t be bothered and steal someone else’s while they aren’t looking. 

    image

    image

    Beautiful Coromandel Pensinsula

    Cathedral Cove is next on the list, and is possibly the most popular tourist attraction on the peninsula.  Josh has been told that the track down to the beach is perfect for blading so we strap up and start rolling.  Unfortunately Josh has been misinformed, and the track turns out to be treacherous and almost unbladable.  After around two and a half hours, a lost wheel and Josh bailing over a dozen times, we finally make it to the beach, just after the sun has set and everyone has left.  It is still a stunning view. 

    We hitch and blade our way around the peninsula and manage to organise to do some WWOOF’ing at a local farm located on the Hauraki Plains.  WWOOF’ing stands for ‘Worldwide Workers on Organic Farm’s’, and is another popular option for travellers looking to meet real locals, especially those on a tight budget. We get given a few farm jobs to do but get a little bit distracted and end up giving each other mullets and make a music videoto cotton eye joe instead.

    image

    A great day but not much farm work has been done.

    image

    The lady kicks us off the farm but we still manage to sneak in a couple of brews as the sun goes down. 

    Good times on the blades indeed.

    #bladenz

     

     

    Rural Blading

    14/05/2014 at 1:00 PM

    9 days left on our campaign and we've been blading hard

    30/04/2014 at 6:21 AM

    Off to Cape Reigna now, thanks for the support so far and check out this video we put together.

    Mullet Bowlcut and Tattoo Claimed

    26/04/2014 at 9:23 PM


    Stoked that our $200 crowd funding option has been claimed and we will now be rocking a mullet and a bowlcut, while our blading coach gets a rollerblade tattoo. 

    yeow.

    Blade NZ: April 2014 Update

    24/04/2014 at 5:00 PM

    Since packing my blades into my backpack and leaving sunny Nelson on a one way flight, the blading squadron has been hard at it. Josh and I decided a while back that literally rollerblading the whole country is a wee bit insane, so we decided that we would use any means of help and transport that comes our way. We’re counting on the generosity of kiwis and fellow travelers to help us along.

    Although we’ve been talking about this trip for almost four years, Blade NZ only became a reality when we got together at Port Waikato and had a few beers. Port Waikato is a beautiful place on the west coast of the North Island, about an hour and a half out of Auckland.  It’s here in a small bach where we have been busy planning and researching for our travels.

    imageimage

    Wild and Raw Port Waikato

    When we came up with the idea of Blade NZ, we initially thought we would have a support crew. But the reality is, having another person assisting us will make things too easy. We want this trip to be difficult and hard work, as we believe that only when we’re struggling will the genuine and interesting experiences emerge.

    Now it is just us, our blades and our backpacks. We don’t know what’s ahead of us, but who really does when they go travelling? That’s the exciting part. 

    image

    Getting the bags packed and bearings lubed up

    While preparing for Blade NZ we decided that we would do the 48hr film festival, in order to get into the swing of things and get in front of and behind the camera. Our genre was time-travel and we managed to whack together a nice wee film. Best of all, we managed to get rollerblades into the movie. Watch it here.

    image
    Screenshot from our 48hr film ‘The Lost Blader’

    Next we filmed our crowd funding video. Luckily I had an array of nice footage from my previous travels to pick nice shots from, and the West Coast of auckland provided some incredible picturesque sunsets.

    imageimageimage

    Sunsets at Port Waikato, NZ

    We then had a skype catchup with our blading coach and guide JT, who is helping us blade through NZ. His primary advice for us was ‘get vertical’. Thanks mate.

    image

    Skype advice from our blading coach JT in London

    Since launching our crowdfunding campaign, we’re absolutely chuffed with the response we’ve had, and at the time of writing we are already halfway towards our overarching goal of $4000. It’s so cool getting other people involved in the project, and Josh and I will be blading hard to make every dollar count.

    image

    Backpack, Camera and Blades

    We have our bags packed and are sussing some last minute details before we hit the road. Today for the first time we tried on our full backpacks while wearing the blades. It’s tougher than we thought. Josh said that wearing a heavy pack while blading is like being a really obese person on wheels, and with the extra weight we’re bound to pick up some serious speed when we go down hills.

    image

    The boys on the blades

    We’re incredibly pumped and excited about the journey ahead. If anyone has a couch we can crash on, knows an interesting person that should feature in our doco, or can hook us up with any tourism venture or local attraction, please get in touch with us through our facebook page.

    Here we come, NZ, 8 wheels at a time. #bladenz #foreverblading 

      Paul Jackson
      24/04/2014 at 3:41pm
      Elliot Riley
      23/04/2014 at 8:26pm
      Ashleigh Harris
      23/04/2014 at 7:07pm
      Ella Kroch
      23/04/2014 at 5:22pm
      Emma Verry
      23/04/2014 at 4:37pm
      Camilla Lau
      23/04/2014 at 1:59pm
      Tom Heaphy
      23/04/2014 at 12:40pm
      Josh
      23/04/2014 at 12:00pm
      Faye Sherlaw
      23/04/2014 at 11:42am
      Jackie Shaw
      23/04/2014 at 11:14am
      Danielle Prestidge
      23/04/2014 at 9:11am
      Melissa
      23/04/2014 at 8:37am
      Maiara Monsores
      23/04/2014 at 8:10am
      Michael Paul Houston
      23/04/2014 at 7:58am
      Francis Turner
      23/04/2014 at 4:50am
      Si Earle
      23/04/2014 at 4:48am
      Sally Hine
      23/04/2014 at 4:33am
      Adam Harris
      23/04/2014 at 1:21am
      Lee Tinirau Kereama Timutimu
      22/04/2014 at 11:49pm
      julie
      22/04/2014 at 11:23pm
      Damien McDowell
      22/04/2014 at 10:45pm
      Helen Dewar
      22/04/2014 at 9:15pm
      Ben Sullivan
      22/04/2014 at 8:49pm
      Cam Leadle
      22/04/2014 at 7:56pm
      Sam Jenkins Sinclair
      22/04/2014 at 7:47pm
      JT
      22/04/2014 at 6:05pm
      Nikki Earle
      22/04/2014 at 4:51pm
      Anonymous pledger
      22/04/2014 at 3:50pm
      Kimberley
      22/04/2014 at 3:45pm
      Irene
      22/04/2014 at 3:41pm
      This campaign was successful and got its funding on 23/05/2014 at 2:45 PM.