Rolling for a cause

New Zealand motorcyclist on a cross-continental ride supporting a healthcare fundraising project in India, passed through Goa

RAMANDEEP KAUR
NT BUZZ

After selling his construction business in 2025, 61-year-old New Zealand motorcyclist Baden Brown set off in February on a multi-country ride to raise funds for the Bethany Healthcare Centre in Chennai. He is riding a Honda Transalp from New Zealand to Europe, with a target of 1 million New Zealand dollars for refurbishment and replacement of ageing medical equipment at the facility, which provides mostly low-cost and free care. He says around 80 per cent of the Centre’s funding comes from international sources and that the work is not widely known, which made him share it during his travels.

Brown says the trip was planned over several years but delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and business conditions in New Zealand. This is his first organised fundraising effort.

His association with the Centre dates back to earlier visits to India, including post-tsunami work in 2004 and travel in 2009. In 2018, he rode through Rajasthan on a rented Royal Enfield motorcycle, which he says influenced his first long-distance riding experience in India. “I’ve always had an interest in adventure.”

He also spoke about a personal motivation behind the journey, which is to support the work of a woman from his hometown in New Zealand who moved to Chennai in 1964 and has worked with marginalised communities since then.

The journey began in New Zealand before the motorcycle was shipped to Australia, where he rode from Brisbane to Perth. It then moved to Malaysia, followed by travel through Thailand, Laos and China, including a group crossing through Tibet, before entering Nepal and India.

In India, Brown travelled through the north before heading south via Varanasi and Hyderabad to Chennai, where he spent around 10 days at the Centre. He continued through Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, including Salem, Ooty, Thrissur, Coimbatore and Bengaluru, before arriving in Goa.

During a brief stop in Goa, he visited Divar Island, Old Goa and Panaji and describes the state as “a very impressive place”. He adds, “One thing I’ve missed on the journey is good coffee and I’ve found that here.”

He has covered about 18,000 km on land to date, excluding sea and air transfers, with the total journey expected to reach around 35,000 km. He says conditions in northern India were challenging at times, with temperatures reaching around 44°C.

So far, about 70,000 New Zealand dollars has been raised, mostly from supporters in New Zealand. He says the figure is still below the target and will require participation, particularly in India. “I know this is entirely possible,” he notes.

A team supports the journey remotely, handling logistics and social media. He says, “I wouldn’t be able to do this without their support.”

He is en route to Mumbai, where the motorcycle will be shipped to Turkey due to closed overland borders through Pakistan and Iran. From Turkey, he plans to continue through Europe, including Greece, Italy, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, ahead of completing the journey. The expedition is self-funded, with donations going directly to the healthcare project. He has titled it ‘Up from Down Under’, referring to his origins in New Zealand and Australia and the long-running charitable work connected to the initiative in India.