Teenager's epic solo 3000km cycling trip from Cape Reinga to Bluff
From punishing climbs near Karapiro to a final 240km push in a single day, Mahe Braaksma's month-long journey tested his limits.
Fourteen-year-old Mahe Braaksma's idea of fun over the summer school holidays looks a little different than your typical teen. He was pedalling the length of New Zealand — 3000km — on his own.
The Fiordland College student completed the month-long solo ride from Cape Reinga to Bluff, raising thousands of dollars along the way for the Fiordland Marine Search and Rescue team, where his dad volunteers.
Braaksma told RNZ it was a long-held dream. He had envisioned tackling the route alone in 2021, when he completed the same trip with his family.
Mahe Braaksma beat his goal of raising $7000 for the Fiordland Marine Search and Rescue team, where his dad works.
Supplied / Braaksma Adventures
The ride began at Cape Reinga, carefully timed with low tide to allow safe passage along 90 Mile Beach. From there, Braaksma spent a total of about 26 days riding, averaging roughly 100km a day. He took a break over Christmas to spend time with his family — so he wouldn't be alone on the special day — before continuing south.
Although Braaksma is no stranger to cycling challenges — having trained for national mountain bike championships - this journey presented new demands. His bike, which was already 11kg, was loaded with a tent, sleeping gear, clothing and other essentials, adding extra weight.
Mahe Braaksma started his solo adventure at Cape Reinga at the top of the North Island.
Supplied / Braaksma Adventures
The terrain quickly tested him too.
"I was going well until I hit the hills just south of Karapiro — they slowed me down a lot. The climbs were steep and tough," he wrote on the family's Facebook page early on his trip.
"Then I hit the gravel and slowed down even more! I then joined the Waikato River Trail, which was rough, technical & steep — it felt like riding down an enduro track. I was wishing I had my enduro bike!"
Then there was the weather. He recalls racing from Reefton to Greymouth in heavy rain, hood pulled over his helmet as water hammered down.
"Then from Hokitika to Franz, it was terrible. It just rained the whole time," he says. "You get cold and then everything gets wet. But it was good getting a hotel that night."
Exhausted from the day's ride, Braaksma would head straight to bed. Accommodation had been plotted out in advance — campgrounds, friends' homes or, when needed, a hotel.
The terrain and weather tested Mahe along his 3000km trip over 26 days.
Supplied / Braaksma Adventures
The biggest test came on Thursday — the final day. Instead of breaking the distance into manageable stages, Braaksma chose to ride the remaining 240km in a single day. He set off from Cromwell before dawn, navigating back roads and cycle trails, and rolled into Bluff about 9pm. On a typical day, he would spend about eight hours riding — and that day was more than double that.
Ahead of the last push, his parents admitted they had tried to talk him out of it.
"We’ve definitely tried talking him out of taking on such a huge day, but he's absolutely adamant — this is exactly how he wants to finish his epic journey. It’s pretty hard to change the mind of a determined 14-year-old when he knows what he wants," his parents wrote on their Facebook page ahead of the big day.
Mahe Braaksma told RNZ he would celebrate the end of his trip by sleeping.
Supplied / Braaksma Adventures
By the end, Braaksma was spent.
"I was feeling like real lightheaded at the end of [Thursday]," Braaksma told RNZ the next day. "But it was so nice knowing that it was the end and knowing that there'd be no more biking afterwards."
Well, no more biking for at least two weeks that is, he says. Once he's recovered, he plans to get back on the bike to resume training.
"I really want to do Sounds to Sounds," he says, referring to the 1500km route from Queen Charlotte Sound to Milford Sound. "But I’ve also got South Island champs and nationals this year, so I do lots of training for that still."
Along the way, support came from family and friends when possible, and from strangers who sometimes joined in too. On the final stretch, a German couple joined him for the entire 240km. Much of the North Island, however, he completed entirely alone, he says.
"You get lots of people asking, 'Oh, how old are you?'" he says. "And then they’re like, 'Oh, you must be like 16'. And you're like, ‘No, I’m 14.'"
Cycling is great to stay fit, he says, but it's also something he’s always done, from as far back as he remembers.
"I kind of want to do like endurance racing when I'm older and stuff like that. But otherwise I'm sort of just doing it for fun right now."
