Stephen Brassett talks about his year walking the country with his two dogs to raise awareness for animal welfare issues.
Stephen Brassett is just back from taking his dogs for a walk. It only took him a year.
Passionate about animal welfare, Brassett has been travelling New Zealand with his two dogs, 6-year-old pug cross Jake and 12-year-old chihuahua cross Piccolo, and a homemade camper on bicycle wheels.
The trio have slept most nights in the tiny camper, with Brassett pulling it by day as he headed to each of the country's animal welfare organisations to promote what they do.
The journey, which began this time last year, hasn't always been easy - a gust of wind blew the group off the road and over a cliff in February 2017, but they were saved from a bad fall by a cluster of trees.
Jake (left) and Piccolo had the option of relaxing in the camper or walking alongside their owner. Photo / Stephen Parker
"We just got caught by a gust of wind which knocked us off a clifftop," Brassett said.
"[We were] caught by some trees. If there were no trees it would have been a disaster.
"That was pretty scary but it worked out well because people helped us out."
They were able to haul the camper back onto the road, and Brassett was given a lift to somewhere he could pick up a new wheel, as one was damaged in the fall.
Aside from such unexpected adventures, Brassett has "really enjoyed" the trip.
Calling it "The Longest Walk New Zealand", he began at the Southland SPCA in Invercargill on January 7 last year, trudged north to Kaitaia, mainly up the east coast, then turned around to come back down the west coast.
"It's been a great way to experiment with minimal living," said Brassett, who has a tiny laundry holder hanging off the back of his camper and a small solar panel on top to charge batteries and his phone.
Stephen Brassett tried to stick to back roads as much as possible on his journey, but occasionally had to take some busy routes. Photo / Andrew Warner
"Sometimes I struggled with being public all the time. Obviously there's a lot of curiosity that follows me regardless of how I'm feeling."
But while it could be difficult at times, the good parts outweighed the bad.
"My favourite part has been freedom. 100 per cent freedom, 100 per cent free to do whatever I wanted every day for a year."
The dogs have enjoyed the trip too - while Piccolo, who can be shy of strangers, preferred to ride in the camper most of the way, Jake was more outgoing and liked to meet new people.
It was exciting for Brassett to meet other people with their own unique stories.
Among them was a man who circumnavigated the South Island in a kayak, a woman who sailed a waka to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) using the stars for guidance, and a man who raised his children in the bush.
Overall, the aim of the walk was to encourage people to get involved with their local animal welfare organisation, he said.
Brassett travelled New Zealand with Jake and Piccolo to encourage people to get involved with their local animal welfare groups. Photo / Duncan Brown
"Everyone can help. You don't necessarily need to go into the shelter, you don't necessarily need to give money."
Now the adventure is over, Brassett is ready to start a new one. He hopes to head to the Black Sheep Animal Sanctuary in Otaki and live there in a communal setting.
The sanctuary cares for mistreated or unwanted animals, particularly former farm animals.
Brassett wanted to thank everybody who helped him and his dogs throughout his journey.
