The complete calm and freedom Wellingtonian John Randal feels when he's on his bike has sparked an unusual mission - to ride down every street in New Zealand. 

It’s a "project”, as he calls it, that began a decade ago on a gloomy weekend day in his home suburb of Karori. The Victoria University professor wondered how many kilometres of road he’d clock up if he rode down every street and set out with his mate to find out. 

It turns out there’s 87km worth of streets in Karori. From there John went on to tackle most Wellington suburbs (5400km), then branched out into the wider region.  

He has since cycled more than 24,000 unique kilometres of streets and cul-de-sacs nationwide, from as far north as Kaitaia to Dunedin in the south, and even the Chatham Islands. 

“I'm a mathematician, there’s a geeky maths element to all of this. I got totally addicted to the format. It’s a weird kind of challenge but to me it’s fascinating,” he laughs. 

“You discover things along the way, like beautiful gardens, strange architecture and amazingly creative letterboxes – on Waiheke Island there’s a scuba tank and on the Kāpiti Coast an outboard motor (pictured below) that have been cleverly converted.”

Most importantly, John is in his happy place on his bike.  

The father of two was diagnosed with depression in 2010. Cycling balances him out, he says. 

“In many ways one of the biggest factors in my wellness are the moments of complete calm and freedom I feel when I'm riding my bike.   

“I'm always battling low mood and low energy, and that gives me motivation, most of the time, to get me out on my bike.” 

So much so, John joined a group of eight amateur cyclists that rode the entire 3500km-long Tour de France route in 2018 to raise money for the Mental Health Foundation NZ. 

As an associate dean, he spoke openly of his depression at the university at the time. In return the university sponsored his participation. 

“Depression is something I’ll be managing for the rest of my life. It has this nastiness to it where it tries to warp your sense of what you’re capable of and what’s good for you,” John explains. 

“Most of the time riding a bike is just as wonderful at 50 as when I was five, and almost always there’s this lovely sense of freedom and pleasure I get from it. 

“But there are still barriers. Sometimes it’s a little embarrassing as a grown man not finding the energy or motivation to go out and enjoy it.”  

The Tour de France fundraiser is where John met Silver Eye Films’ film-maker Matt Jenke, who put together a documentary on their journey. 

Matt learned of John’s “weird format” journeys. It prompted him to produce the four-minute documentary A Good Sort of Mad, which follows John’s mission to ride every street in Nelson in two days.

A Good Sort of Mad has since been a part of Big Bike Film Night here and in Australia. This year it also showcased in a special online “Best of Big Bike Film Night 2015-2024" collection. 

John has always loved biking. He biked to school as a teenager and continues to bike to work daily. Outside of work – and his “project” - he’s dabbled in road cycling/racing and mountain biking. 

He even met his now wife Sarah and step-daughter Khulan through the youth mountain biking programme WORD. 

“Cycling has always been a big part of my life. The bike is a lovely thing to have in your quiver, you can enjoy riding anywhere.” 

As for the 23 Ngā Haerenga Great Rides of New Zealand, John’s sampled every North Island ride, ridden many in their entirety and sampled a selection of South Island rides. 

“There’s no doubt we live in a beautiful place, the Great Rides are absolutely stunning. And the advent of the e-bike has made these trails accessible to a greater cross-section of our society. It’s a game-changer. 

“Biking in general is a game-changer. It’s so good for your health and wellbeing. It gives people an opportunity to escape the busyness of life, to get into the outdoors and back to nature. 

“Equally importantly, it is a great way of getting to and from work or school, during which we get these micro doses of the outdoors." 

• To get back to nature and escape the busyness of life, start planning your next Great Ride.