Cycling/Rowing: Paea summons feat of strength

Sione Paea is getting out of his comfort zone to cycle the length of New Zealand. Photo.Stephen Parker

Conjure up the word impossible and it can mean different things to different people.

Sione Paea, 19, hopes to find out for himself that impossible is only a state of mind.

The teenager is in the midst of training for a 30-day individual feat taking him from Cape Reinga to Bluff by bike and rowboat to give him an experience to farewell his teenage years and raise money for the Child Cancer Foundation at the same time.

Paea, who lives in Fordlands with his parents, sets off on his adventure on November 1. What makes it more challenging is he doesn't yet own a road bike and he's never road cycled - or rowed - long distance before.

"I wanted to see what the word impossible meant and what stops young people from achieving goals in life," he said.

"I wanted to prove there's nothing impossible in life and I wanted to do something for when I say goodbye to my teenage life that it will live with me forever. I wanted to set myself a big goal that would push beyond physical, mental and spiritual barriers."

Last year he ran 47km in aid of the Matakana Grand Charity which was supporting two young cancer patients.

One of those children, Jaxon, has since died, and Patea is remembering him with the challenge.

"I'm doing it in his honour. He was only 9. When I got the news about Jaxon it motivated me even more."

He wants to raise $10,000 by going through 30 days of temporary pain to save lives and "experience at least a fraction of what they go through everyday".

Paea is originally from Warkworth and a former deputy head prefect at Mahurangi College. His parents now live in Fordlands, and Paea is living here while pursuing this goal and his future ambitions as a fitness model.

"I want to promote fitness and well-being. I want to find my way to the top in the United States. I consider myself a lucky person as every day I wake up and I'm still healthy.

"I was brought up in a strict family life. If my parents weren't strict I wouldn't be like I am now."

Paea's route takes him from Cape Reinga to Bluff via Rotorua.

His shortest day on land is 28km from Invercargill to Bluff and his longest is day 14 when he cycles from Taihape to Levin.

He hopes to row across the Cook Strait but if he can't he will ride a stationary bike on the ferry.

"This is completely out of my comfort zone," he says.

"I've done rugby and boxing but this is completely different. It's out of my league."

Sione Paea's Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/CyclingnRowingNZlengthforcancer12. He can be contacted at hope4kidshope4all@gmail.com