Grant Rawlinson to Row from Singapore to NZ

Adventurer New Zealander Grant Rawlinson, 42, continues to push the limits embarking on a 12,000km rowing and cycling journey from Singapore to New Zealand.

The Singapore permanent resident, who is known as Axe to his friends, calls it his “rowing from home to home” adventure, but it also includes a significant time on a bicycle.

After recovering from serious rugby injuries suffered as a Singapore national seven-a-side player, Rawlinson took up mountain climbing, conquering Mt Everest in 2012.

Now, he’s on to a new challenge – “human-powered adventure” – which he came up with in 2013. This leg includes cycling thousands of kilometres without a support team and rowing.

Said Rawlinson: “Being a New Zealander, it seemed like a natural thing for me to make travelling home one of my trips.”

He sets off next January and hopes to reach New Zealand in November.

He has named his rowing boat Simpson’s Donkey, a tribute to a soldier who used donkeys to get wounded soldiers out of battle zones in World War I.

He said: “Just like the little donkey, the boat is our lifeline. She doesn’t move very fast, but we rely fully on her for her strength and sturdiness to carry us safely from home to home.”

Original article by Elaine Lee, The New Paper, September 23, 2016.