Ryan posted photos of the journal to Reddit in the hopes of getting help tracking down the journal's owner, who appeared to be named Nick.
Redditors suggested the names in the journal could be the members of an Auckland-based band called Ziko, but the group had last released an album in 2012 and had very little online presence.
Ryan was able to use Facebook to get in contact with Kris Baudry, a Ziko band member whose full name was mentioned multiple times in the journal, and Baudry confirmed the band's keyboardist was named Nick Boyle.
Ryan said he started messaging people named Nick Boyle on Facebook, and one of the other Nick Boyles was able to give him an email address for the Ziko band member.
Ryan confirmed that the journal was Boyle's long-lost travel diary. He mailed the book to Boyle, who now lives in South Australia.
Boyle said he was amused to learn of his journal's newfound popularity on Reddit.
"Thank you so much for all that effort," Boyle wrote in an email to Ryan. "I hope that was a somewhat intriguing and enjoyable ride for you, too."
