He Ta¯ ngata: Ryan O’Connell
Elisabeth Easther talks to Ryan O’Connell of Switched On Bikes
I grew up in Dunedin and family holidays involved filling the car and trailer with toys and bikes, renting a crib and exploring Central Otago. And because we all liked being outdoors, the South Island really suited us. After university I worked for my brother, saving money to travel. I went to Australia first, to learn how to travel and also how to grow food. I did a lot of wwoofing, [Willing Workers On Organic Farms]. Knowing how to grow food will always be of benefit, and it provided a really good reason for travelling. I think it’s important not just to travel for travel's sake, but to travel with a purpose.
It turns out I’m pretty good at picking oranges, and if you picked fast you’d make good money. Once I’d picked enough to hitchhike to Adelaide, I met some Germans who were heading up the middle of the country in a beat-up old van. I travelled with them from Adelaide to Alice Springs, past Uluru and up to Darwin. I loved Darwin, the heat, the national parks. I wwoofed up there and, after I’d finished, to say thank you, the family I worked with took me on a crocodile boat ride. Big chunks of meat were hung off the side of the boat and the crocodiles jumped out of the water and tore it off. And I got to hold a big snake. That was cool.
From Australia, I spent a month in Thailand. In Chiang Mai, I saw a handwritten note on a noticeboard inviting people to stay on an organic farm in exchange for meditation lessons. I called the number and spoke to the monk and he told me what bus to catch and asked me to bring some bread for the cat. I managed to find the bus and there were chickens and bags of rice. No one speaks English and I had no idea where I was going. I spent two weeks on this Zen Buddhist monk’s farm. There were some sitting meditations, but mostly we’d do active practical things, building a mud-brick house or gardening, but in a mindful way. That experience was very important to me.
Returning to Chiang Mai, I took a really long train ride down south to go rock climbing at Phi Phi Island. Between north and south, I couldn’t believe the difference in terms of the impact tourists make. In the north, you’d always wear long sleeves; in the south people wandered around in just their swimsuits. There was a totally different respect for local culture Ryan O’Connell had a harsh welcome to Peru. and the environment from north to south.
When I got to England, I worked with people with disabilities. I signed with an agency and for a few months I’d live in and support a person with their everyday needs. It made me realise I wanted all my work to be valuable. I didn’t want to work just to pay the bills, I wanted to do things that had meaning.
At the same time, I got my motorcycle licence and bought a Honda CB250 because I wanted the journey to be part of my travel experience and any time I had off I’d head for mainland Europe. Spending time in Leipzig was definitely a highlight. It’s a beautiful city with great bike paths. You can ride through forests and gardens on a regular bike, going from the suburbs to the city and feel so comfortable riding on roads. You could see how cities can be set up for people to cycle safely. And being a university town, there were lots of young people to party with.
Another trip took me to Peru with my bicycle. Turning up in Lima, I was a bit overwhelmed. Looking like a fresh, green tourist in South America, I was pickpocketed on my first day. They took small things I’d packed accessibly, my camera and music player but not my wallet or passport. That was a harsh welcome but I found my way to Huaraz and had a fantastic time mountain biking with locals. Riding over the border from Ecuador to Colombia — they love bicycles in Colombia — I did my first bike tour there and discovered what a cool way that is to experience a new place.
I’m quite fit, but when I jumped on an e-bike in Mapua near Nelson, I wondered why isn’t everybody riding these? And that’s when the idea for Switched On Bikes hit me. So I quit my job with the IHC, did a Low Carbon Challenge Accelerator programme then some crowd funding, found a space on the Wellington waterfront and crammed it full of bikes. People love riding e-bikes around Wellington.