The hot sun was beating down on his back and his feet were covered in blisters. But Nat Halliday wasn't about to give in.

Instead he looked ahead to the winding roads, the lush mountains and the blue sea and tried to forget about the pain and fatigue.

Now Nat, from Fareham, can look back on an incredible achievement – travelling across New Zealand by skateboard. He was part of a team of five who spent 44 days covering 2,082 kilometres (1,294 miles), raising more than £3,000 for two charities, The Lowe Syndrome Trust and Canteen, a New Zealand cancer charity.

Nat, 32, who teaches year two pupils at Rookesbury Park Primary in Wickham, was given time off to complete the challenge. In the build-up, he even used to skateboard to school every day.

He says: 'I've been skateboarding my whole life since I was about seven. I thought I would combine the two things I love the most – skateboarding and travelling.'

Nat also confesses that he got more out of the trek than he expected. He met girlfriend Julia Sugarman from Canada whilst on the trip and says: 'I will probably end up marrying her.'

During the journey, Nat lost a stone in weight and had to endure painful blisters from spending so long pushing his skateboard.

'Skating each day takes a huge toll on your body,' he says.

The weather conditions were also very varied, with hot sunshine and temperatures of 35 degrees in the north of the island and cold weather and rain down in the south.

Nat explains: 'The highs were the scenery. New Zealand is an awesome country to be in.'

Nat is now back at school and Rookesbury Park head Pippa Harris-Burland says she is extremely proud of his achievements. She adds: 'I completely endorsed his trip. I was very happy for him to do it because I know it was a wonderful adventure for him and that he would return to the school with even more to offer from a real-life journey.

'I felt that this was a wonderful opportunity for him to grow as a person. He lived his dream.'

Everybody at the school kept in touch with Nat while he was away on the other side of the world, with pupils sending him regular e-mails and checking his progress.

Pippa adds: 'The children have been fully involved in his journey. We knew exactly where he was every step of the way.'

The school had a whole day dedicated to New Zealand where they raised nearly £300 for charity.

Pippa says: 'They have had a wonderful experience through their teacher's determination.

'That's inspiring to young minds – now they believe they can do it.'

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