Blade NZ: A Travel Documentary
By Matt
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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.
Life 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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
A great day but not much farm work has been done.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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Followers of Blade NZ: A Travel Documentary
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.
Life 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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
A great day but not much farm work has been done.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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