Rob Cope wants Wanganui men to talk to each other.
The Wellington man is on a hitchhiking tour of the country, fridge in tow, to raise money for Project Wildman. It's a forum he has set up for men to meet and discuss issues.
Mr Cope and his fridge managed to get to Wanganui from Palmerston North in three rides yesterday before he spoke to a group at the Red Lion last night. This morning he heads off to New Plymouth.
"The rides have been coming thick and fast lately," he said.
This is the second time Mr Cope has circumnavigated the country with his fridge. He did it last year to promote his book Men Wanted for Hazardous Journeywhich discusses men and their tendency to bottle things up, and how talking about things can help solve problems. He said men in New Zealand were known for not talking about what bothers them.
"I just think it's passed down through the generations. I didn't start figuring out stuff out until I started talking about it."
Project Wildman groups run in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch but Mr Cope hopes to get them set up in other towns such as Wanganui and is on the hunt for facilitators.
The groups meet on a weekly basis and provide men with a forum to talk about anything. "It's learning from the stories of others."
Mr Cope takes the fridge along with him for no other reason than to be "ridiculous". And it gets him some attention. "I sort of thought there's nothing funnier than a fridge. It has nothing to do with Project Wildman at all."