Kiwi Adventurer Plans To Row From Singapore to New Zealand

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Kiwi adventurer Grant “Axe” Rawlinson has quite an adventurous resume. Not only has he climbed numerous peaks from around the world – including Everest – he has also trekked and cycled his way through some of the most remote and beautiful locations on the plane. But his next endeavor just might be his most challenging yet, as he has now announced plans to row and cycle from Singapore back to New Zealand, covering a distance of 12,000 km (7456 miles) in the process.

The expedition has been dubbed Rowing Home, and isn’t set to begin until December of 2016. But Axe is already busy planning and preparing for the journey. He’ll cover the distance in four legs, first traveling 3200 km (1988 miles) from his starting point in Singapore to Timor Island in the Indonesian Archipelago. From there, he’ll risk an 800 km (497 mile) crossing of the Timor Sea that will take him to Darwin, Australia. The third leg of the journey is 4000 km (2485 mile) cycling expedition from Darwin to Sydney through some incredibly remote regions of that country. Finally, Grant will return to the water to row across the Tasman Sea from Sydney to Taranaki in New Zealand, covering an additional 2500 km (1553 miles).

Grant will be joined on this expedition by Aussie partner Alan Silva. The two men plan to take turns at the oars of their state of the art row boat, with each taking two hour shifts. They’ll row 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, until they reach their goals, which could take weeks to complete. The boat is being built by Rannoch Adventures in the U.K. and features solar panels and batteries for generating power, a desalinization filter for purifying water, GPS and navigational equipment to help them find their way, and radio and emergency beacons to help keep the two men in contact with their support team. The lightweight craft has also been built to be self-righting, allowing it to return to an upright position should it capsize in poor weather.

You can learn more about the Rowing Home expedition on the official website. It features information about the inspiration for the journey, what Grant and Alan will eat along the way, and the risks they’ll face as well. With over a year to go before they start, there is still a lot of work to be done. But we’ll certainly be following along once they get started.

Kraig Becker