The letters have been left by visitors from all over the globe (Picture: Jon Beardmore)
A New Zealand man is aiming to visit all seven continents as he hand delivers letters from the Galapagos Islands all over the world.
Jonny Beardmore will hand deliver letters across the globe until next March, all while raising money in memory of his father, Eric, who passed away from motor neurone disease.
He gets the letters from a post box in Isla Floreana, the Galapagos Islands, where visitors drop off letters. The catch is, anyone can pick up the letters and hand deliver them where they’re intended to go.
The tradition began in 1793, when sailors left letters in a post box on the islands in hopes passing ships would take them to their loved ones.
So far, Jonny has delivered 50 letters, from South America to Antarctica. He’s currently in Ireland.
He told the BBC last month: ‘I want to highlight the loss of mobility and freedom of movement that my father and other MND sufferers experience – a reminder that we should never take these abilities for granted.’
His travels have taken him to some very rural areas (Picture: Jon Beardmore)
He’s been from the Galapagos to Nashville, and back again (Picture: Jon Beardmore)
He said in one town, he missed the recipients of a letter, who weren’t home at the time. But he bumped into their neighbours in the town centre.
Jon added: ‘The odds of this happening are ridiculous.’
He’s travelled to Iceland, Mexico, Canada, America, Ireland, Belize, Guatemala, Brazil, Antarctica, Argentina, Ireland, Panama, Peru, and Paraguay.
Jon still has six months left of his travels, but has already raised over $10,000NZ out of his $100,000 goal.
The funding for his trip is done entirely by himself – but he uses frequent flyer miles to help alleviate the financial burden.
Jon has even delivered post cards to couples who have broken up – as seen with the case of Denise and Steve.
Jon is seen posing with some of the letters he will hand deliver (Picture: Jon Beardmore)
He’s had help from around the globe (Picture: Jon Beardmore)
His travels even saw him to go Antarctica (Picture: Jon Beardmore)
Denise, who lives in Belize, wrote a love letter to her then-boyfriend Steve, reading: ‘No matter what happens, I will always love you.’
He found Steve living in Belize, known locally as ‘tie-dyed Steve’ due to his love of colourful shirts. Though Steve and Denise had broken up, Jon joined the pair, who are now friends, for a lunch.
Jon told the Wall Street Journal: ‘Not quite the happy ending we were rooting for, but the letter delivery has got them back talking which is a win in my books.’
He will finish his journey of delivering post cards and letters on March 1, 2025.
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