Grant ‘Axe’ Rawlinson is no stranger to death defying adventure, he has spent his life climbing the world’s highest mountains as well as trekking, cycling and rowing his way around some of the most dangerous parts of the planet.
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A life’s passion for exploration and adventure and the will to use only human power have been the driving forces behind Mr Rawlinson’s epic adventures.
As his second attempt, Mr Rawlinson is getting ready to row his boat, ‘Simpsons Donkey,’ 3000 kilometres across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand on the final leg of his latest quest ‘Rowing home to home’.
“If successful I will be the second person to row from Australia to New Zealand but the first to do it by the colder and rougher southerly route,” Mr Rawlinson said.
The 12,000 km human powered journey began from Rawlinson’s adopted home of Singapore. Firstly rowing through hot equatorial waters of the Indonesian Archipalego to Darwin followed by a 4,000 km bike ride across Australia to the East coast, landing in Eden. Mr Rawlinson said he chose Eden as his departure destination because of the strong westerly winds helping to push him across the rugged sea.
Mr Rawlinson has spent the past ten days living in his row boat at the Eden wharf, waiting for conditions to be favourable.
“It’s not just about rowing the Tasman – it’s the last leg of a very long trip that has taken me 160 days of human powered travel just to get to this point. I am extremely focused on finishing it off.
“There is always a high level of uncertainty in any adventure. That’s what it’s all about, I believe we have the power to push through.
The duration of the trip is expected to be around 70 days – “about as long as my freeze dried rations will last,” he laughed.
Mr Rawlinson said the challenge is more mental than physical, rowing an average of 12 hours each day.
“I am commonly asked about physical training but that’s only about 10 – 20 percent of the entire preparation process,” Mr Rawlinson said.
“Preparation before I leave shore is enormously important. During the route last year the toughest times were when I was stuck in the cabin for more than 70 hours.”
The departure day is imminent and Mr Rawlinson said he is feeling a mixture of extreme focus and apprehension for the unknown. He is ready to “just get on with the job.”
Mr Rawlinson passed on a message, encouraging everyone to believe they have the power to take on their own adventures.
In a world full of digital technology Mr Rawlinson proves that we still have what it takes from within – human power. To follow his journey visit his website, axeoneverest.com