Busby Noble, Antarctic adventurer and Ōtara elder, has died

Busby Noble voyaged to the Antarctic on the yacht Nilaya and served his community as an elder, activist and teacher. Photo / Michael Craig

Antarctic adventurer Busby Noble has died aged 64.

Noble, who lived in Ōtara, travelled to Antarctica on the yacht Nilaya in early 2012 and planted the Mana Party flag in the polar ice.

At the time of his voyage, his identity was largely a mystery to the world outside Nilaya and he was widely believed to be a stowaway.

The truth about his voyage, and the seeds of that journey, later emerged.

Busby Noble in Antarctica in 2012, after a renegade voyage on the yacht Nilaya. Photo / Supplied

Noble was in Opua in the Bay of Islands in the summer of 2010-11 when a cousin's 50th birthday was approaching.

At the time, so was the 17th birthday of Samuel Massie, youngest member of Norwegian adventurer Jarle Andhøy's Berserk crew.

The Berserkers were readying the boat for Antarctica. Noble's cousin was helping and Noble's whānau invited the Berserkers to celebrate both birthdays together.

But the Berserk sank in February 2011, with the loss of three crew, including Noble's South African friend, Leonard Banks.

Noble said he told the survivors: "Look, I think it's wise if you come back and pay homage to these boys in a year's time. It's what we do as Māori, anyway."

Noble later reunited with Andhøy and others, and in early 2012, Andhøy left Auckland on the yacht Nilaya. Aboard were Massie, Argentine Juan Manuel Hernandez, Russian Sergey Smirnoff and, it was reported, the "unnamed New Zealander".

The crew ignored an aircraft Customs sent to track the boat, and evaded authorities, who claimed the voyage was illegal. Noble left New Zealand without a passport.

Mana Party member Kereama Pene then revealed Noble, 52 at the time, was the mystery man and had planted the party flag on the ice in the company of penguins.

It was a tale deemed almost too unbelievable to be true, and a Herald on Sunday duty editor at the time nearly spiked the story.

Subsequent photos and calls on satellite phone confirmed the extraordinary tale.

Busby Noble at home in Ōtara in 2013 after his return from Antarctica, Chile, and Norway. Photo / Michael Craig

Nilaya made it to Ross Island, not far from Mt Erebus. Noble later explained the crew experienced gale-force winds for three days and three nights at a place called Horseshoe Bay.

After Antarctica, Nilaya sailed east to Chile and the men on board were arrested. Noble was confined to the boat but ten days on, the men were freed.

Noble arrived in Norway in May 2012 and became a celebrity in the country. His and Nilaya's exploits were later celebrated in a Norwegian TV show.

Noble was back in Ōtara in 2013.

"As far as I'm concerned, this is my passport," he said at the time, pointing to himself. "I was not kidnapped or a victim. I went with some knowledge of what my duties were."

And he joked: "I don't realise what famous-osity means."

Although famous overseas, Noble was not wealthy, and his health deteriorated in recent years.

Busby Noble's extraordinary voyage on some of the world's wildest seas with a polyglot crew made headlines in 2012. Photo / NZME

He was a presence at protests and public gatherings in Auckland for many years and would offer his perspectives on social and political issues when approached.

As a kaumātua, Noble was respected in the local community and the trade union movement.

In late 2020, he spoke about gang-related violence in South Auckland, saying some elders and community leaders felt like they were staring down a wave of negative influences.

He said mainstream institutions and the police often did not understand that Ōtara had its own soul and its own culture.

"They're trying themselves to read places and people and things, and not one of them is paying attention to the spirit of the place," Noble said at the time.

Noble taught Te Reo Māori to refugees and also taught English to migrants. He had ties to Hokianga.

He was diagnosed with cancer and a fundraising page was set up to help him in his final days and for memorial services.

On social media, Andhøy paid tribute to Noble.

"He shared knowledge, laughter and a strong brotherhood with us... and participated in the search for missing mates in the Ross Sea," Andhøy wrote.

"We, Arne Olaf Skaanes, Ann Mari Skaanes and sailormates are thankful and grateful for the experiences and sails we shared together and look forward to see you again in Valhalla, my friend."

Noble's tangi is expected to be held in Te Tai Tokerau, with a hikoi on Friday from Panmure to Ōmanaia and Mangamuka.