KEY POINTS:
Australian search and rescue authorities had asked an Australian kayaker to turn back early in his trans-tasman attempt after his boat and equipment were damaged, the Invercargill Coroner's Court was told yesterday.
But Australian adventurer Andrew McAuley, attempting to be the first person to kayak solo across the Tasman Sea, refused and disappeared on February 9 this year within sight of New Zealand.
His last recorded transmission was a garbled call for a rescue as his kayak was sinking.
