It was that experience that led him to develop a deep desire to search for the meaning of life, Mr Atkinson said.
After four years of meditation and spiritual reflection, he finally discovered it, he said.
The meaning of life was to experience God’s love, he said.
That conclusion led him, all these years later, to undertake a pilgrimage from the South Island to the top of the North Island.
He started on Boxing Day and planned to walk from Dunedin as far as he could, wheeling his custom-made cross behind him.
Mr Atkinson, who was born in Christchurch before moving to Australia for a number of years before his accident, said he started the cross-country walk in Dunedin as that was where the cross had been made.
During the journey, he hoped to spark conversations and share his faith and small religious pamphlets for children with those he encountered.
With $4 in his pocket, he was not concerned about securing food or accommodation along the way, as "God would provide".
