Couple successfully circle Hong Kong Island coastline, putting its polluted areas on the map

First people ever to climb, swim and scramble their way around recall the beauty and pollution they encountered

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Paul Niel and Esther Röling celebrate upon arriving at Siu Sai Wan, Chai Wan, on Sunday. Photo: Tessa Chan

Published: 8:25pm, 28 May 2017Updated: 9:47pm, 28 May 2017

Paul Niel and Esther Röling emerged wet, exhausted, but elated when they arrived at Siu Sai Wan, Chai Wan on Sunday evening after a groundbreaking journey around Hong Kong Island.

The couple successfully completed a round-the-island expedition in which they combined climbing, swimming and scrambling to get around the city’s coastline.

Six days prior, they set out to create Hong Kong’s first ever coastal pollution map in partnership with the city’s Open University, which provided them with a device to gather and analyse water samples as they went. The two were the first people to ever circumnavigate the entire island in this manner.

The couple completed their journey in six days – one day earlier than they expected. Photo: Tessa Chan

“We’re very relieved and happy that we made it,” said Niel, a locally based Austrian adventurer and mountaineer. “The weather played a lot of different games with us this past week, from a black rainstorm – which left us, plus our sleeping bags and supplies, soaked and miserable – to baking hot sun.”

Delighted to have arrived one day earlier than they expected, Niel and Röling spent 11 hours a day on the slippery, barnacled rocks, climbing and jumping in and out of the water, and sleeping out on the rocks in a tent at night.

It took a toll on their bodies, though, as they picked up blisters, chafing, bruises and cuts that became swollen and infected. They were constantly wet and lacked opportunities for treatment.