Cycling Reporter seeks chatty Kiwis

An adventure-seeking 23-year-old Irish film-maker, who calls himself ‘The Cycling Reporter’, has arrived in New Zealand as part of his mission to cycle around the world interviewing locals along the way.

Leon McCarron set off from New York in May and cycled 9000km to Los Angeles before flying to New Zealand.

Since his arrival down-under, McCarron has cycled through the Bay of Islands and around Northland, and is now heading south with the intention of spending several months filming here before touring the east coast of Australia en route to Hong Kong.

People-focused journey
With camera and production equipment vying for space on his heavily-laden bicycle, McCarron’s journey will be determined by the people he meets and interviews.

He has a special interest in social justice and says he’s keen to offer people passionate about any topic from their environment or lifestyle to a specialist subject or cause, the chance to air their thoughts and opinions on camera. He also hopes to raise money for his pet charity, UNICEF.

As well as recording "chats" and cataloguing his personal journey through the sights and experiences he encounters, McCarron will post material on his website regularly and ultimately compile a documentary on his return home.

Combining passions
Since graduating from the University of Kent, England, with a first class honours degree, McCarron has worked as a cinematographer and cameraman while saving "every penny" in preparation for his project.

He says it provides the chance to combine several of his own passions - travel, adventure, cycling, sustainability and filmmaking.

The journey began in New York City, where McCarron was doing a film internship, and took him from east to west across the United States with a short break in Seattle. From San Francisco he cycled down to Tijuana in Mexico, before making his way to Los Angeles and flying to New Zealand.

McCarron says the New Zealand leg of the trip stems from a personal dream to cycle the length of both the North and South islands. He also believes his film will benefit from the cultural shift from America, making for interesting viewing.

"All the locations on my route are linked by populations of indigenous peoples, who I hope to be lucky enough to speak with on camera. Hong Kong is not necessarily the final destination - this trip is all about interactivity and cooperation, and if it's possible to continue onwards, then I'll be straight back on the bike," he says.

Generous hospitality
Working on a very tight budget means McCarron is careful about expenditure but says he has encountered generous hospitality so far - even being invited into homes of store owners as he’s stopped to buy supplies.

Inspiration for the world-wide cycle ride came from other adventures through Western Europe and the United Kingdom. His first expedition from North Ireland to Wales and England was in 2004 at the age of 17.

McCarron said he believes that the bicycle can be a sustainable transportation method and wanted to challenge himself to lower his carbon footprint.

"Bicycles are the best mode of transport - they keep you fit, they’re good for the environment, easy to fix and maintain and a lot of fund to ride. On top of that I think this project benefits from my slow movement across countries.

"Travelling by bicycle allows me to fully experience the environment I’m passing through and makes it very easy to interact with the communities I will encounter - in fact I think using this mode of transport it would be impossible to ignore them."

Loose plans
Currently heading from Auckland to Hamilton, McCarron has loose plans to cycle to the East Cape, Rotorua, Lake Taupo, Napier and Wellington before crossing to the South Island, making his way down the West Coast to Invercargill, and finishing his journey in Christchurch.

"The notion of the place and the people are key, and the project relies on interactivity. I’ll conduct the interviews but it will only succeed if I have subjects to talk to and people following the website."

Leon McCarron’s New Zealand experience will be posted on his website: leonmccarron.com