In late February 2017, we set off from our home in Motueka on pushbikes. The goal? An unsupported cycling adventure to Bluff, the southernmost tip of the South Island of New Zealand, some 1,438km south and 33 days in the future. Towering glaciers, steep mountain passes, insane autumn winds, stunning alpine villages, pelting rain, baking sun, a chronic health challenge ... we had it all. But grit and determination ultimately won out - we did it.