Tasman kayaker and former Rotorua man Scott Donaldson is edging closer to New Zealand on his solo trantasman kayak attempt, but the big question still remains, where will he land?
Donaldson currently sits 300km off the coast of Raglan and 240km off New Plymouth.
Weather conditions have been good, with Donaldson enjoying a southwest wind of around 18 knots, which will aid in his progress towards New Zealand.
It has however been a rough couple of days, slowing his progress significantly.
Team leader Nigel Escott said it was a joint decision between him and Donaldson to slow down for a couple of days.
"He was battling some pretty fierce conditions out there, 40-knot winds and a 6m swell.
"It didn't make sense to be paddling in that, so we made the plan to hunker down in the cabin for a couple of days, save energy and ride out the bad weather."
Even with minimal paddling, and aided by the wind, Donaldson's craft still travelled 40km in a northerly direction.
"He started paddling again at 8am this morning, the weather forecast is good and will only get better over the coming days.
"In fact, the sea almost flattens off over the weekend."
The question still remains as to where Donaldson will make landfall, with a number of scenarios being calculated.
New Plymouth has been touted as a landing spot, but so too has Raglan.
Trans-Tasman kayaker Scott Donaldson departing from Lord Howe Island on May 18. Photo/File
"Bob McDavitt our weather guru is running calculations about where he will land," Escott said.
"For the next few days Scott will have a southwest wind that will push him up the coast.
It will still be a number of days before the team have a clear picture of where he will end up.
"He still has five days of paddling ahead of him. We are hopeful he will make landfall on Sunday or Monday."
Donaldson left Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales Coast on May 2 and made it to Lord Howe Island in 10 days – a distance of 586km.
Waiting out a storm for seven days, he resumed his journey to New Zealand on May 18, which means he has been at sea now for over a month.
With his transtasman kayak attempt Donaldson is raising funds for asthma research. Donaldson himself is an asthma sufferer. Donations can be made via Givealittle.
