Ben Mason battles bad weather off Bream Head during his quest to row 1000km along the Northland coast. Photo / supplied
Ben Mason battles bad weather off Bream Head during his quest to row 1000km along the Northland coast. Photo / supplied
A teenager who lost his mum to breast cancer as a young boy has rowed 1000km along the Northland coast to raise money for medical research.
Ben Mason, 19, was due to arrive in Auckland yesterday after a 20-day journey by skiff to the Bay of Islands and back in which he battled fatigue, back pain and stormy weather but was buoyed by whale encounters and messages from cancer sufferers.
As of Monday he had raised $20,280 for the Breast Cancer Foundation, just over his $20,000 target.
Mason said the loss of his mother, aged 36, when he was just six years old had a huge impact on his life.
As well as helping fund research and patient support, he hoped his Row for Breast Cancer challenge would help raise awareness of the need for early detection and treatment.
He also hoped it would encourage women with breast cancer.
''I've had some really cool messages from people who've been diagnosed. That's been really cool. It helps motivate me on the bad days — that weather's not always that friendly and my back just ached for the first week,'' Mason said.
Ben Mason rowed 1000km to the Bay of Islands and back to raise money for breast cancer research. Photo / supplied
The Dunedin commerce student started at Bucklands Beach in Auckland on July 28 and rowed up the east coast as far as Kerikeri Inlet in the Bay of Islands, then turned around and rowed home.
He hit bad weather at Kawau Island on the way north and had to spend a couple of days sheltering. He also spent a few days exploring the Bay of Islands.
''It was beautiful and definitely a lot warmer than I'm used to,'' he said.
Ben Mason at Motukōkako/Hole in the Rock at the entrance to the Bay of Islands. Photo / supplied
Highlights included Motu Kōkako (Hole in the Rock) and close encounters with wildlife.
He was lying down in the boat for a rest near Ōakura when he heard ''a massive puff'' just off the bow.
''It gave me a fright. By the time I got up it had gone but a few minutes later it surfaced again about 100m further away, and I could see it was definitely a whale.''
He saw a few more whales off Whangārei Harbour, albeit further away, and plenty of dolphins.
Lowlights included capsizes, bad weather and back pain. At times it felt impossible but that was no different to his mum's journey with cancer, he said.
Mason normally juggled his studies with competing in rowing events overseas, so the fundraising challenge had given him something significant to do while the borders were closed.
Ben Mason and his support vessel at Motukōkako/Hole in the Rock at the Bay of Islands. Photo / supplied
He had been accompanied by his father in a support boat where he spent his nights, only rarely coming to shore.
Every year 3300 New Zealanders are diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 650 die, according to the Breast Cancer Foundation. Around 170 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the Northland DHB area every year, and around 25 will die from it.
