New Zealander man Jon Beardmore is on a mission: He wants to reconnect the world, one hand-delivered letter at a time.
Beardmore set out this year to complete what he calls "the Galapagos Postman Challenge". It's since made international headlines.
He took 50 letters from an ancient post box on Isla Floreana in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands in March and is now personally delivering them across the globe to raise awareness — and money — for people fighting Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Beardmore's dad, who battled MND for years before his death, was a big part of the postman's inspiration. He wrote online: "The [challenge] is about reconnecting people via the written word in the form of letters and hand delivering them to provide a personal touch.
"And to highlight the loss of mobility and freedom of movement that my father and other MND suffers lose.
"Something we shouldn't take for granted."
Beardmore told Breakfast this morning that he preferred the adventure to his old full-time job.
So far, he's hand-delivered letters in Antarctica, Central America, South America and North America.
And the post box he got the letters from has been there for more than 200 years, Beardmore added.
"Sailors would always put their mail in there and people would collect and deliver it by hand if they were sailing that way.
"That is still operating, this little lone letter box — and tourists mostly go through, they post a post card, they might take one or two and then they might deliver it to somewhere nearby.
"I've just taken that to a slight extreme and taken 50."
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