Richard, pictured about 23 kilometres off Riverton on February 17. Photo / A. Dawson
Richard Barnes has arrived in Southland following a 65-day, 1636-kilometre solo trip from Australia.
He was greeted by onlookers in Riverton, 30 kilometres from Invercargill, at 11.30am.
A spokesperson from Lane Cove River Kayakers - Barnes’s kayaking club - said they are very proud of the quiet and unassuming man.
“We are no strangers to long-distance ultra-kayaking, but this is next-level.”
Barnes departed from Hobart on December 14, hoping to make his first solo, non-stop crossing of the Tasman sea.
He initially attempted the voyage in 2021. However, he was forced to turn back near Lord Howard Island - 700km off the coast of Sydney - after 75 days due to Cyclone Seth.
The Australian said a highlight of this trip was a special performance by dolphins who were leaping out of the water around him.
However, the lowlight was having to twice go for a swim to scrape off accumulated barnacles on the hull.
His custom-built Kayak, Blue Moon, is ten metres long and can weigh up to as much as 600 kilograms if fully loaded.
It contains three main compartments: a citadel for drying clothes, sleeping, and using electronic devices; a vestibule for eating, changing, and prepping; and a cockpit for paddling.
It also features solar panels, a GPS, a rain gutter to catch drinking water, and a sea anchor to act as a brake at night and during heavy weather.
“It was definitely exciting to design the boat that would keep me alive on this journey,” Barnes told ABC Australia last year.
Barnes packed up to 200kgs worth of food which did not have to be refrigerated and could last up to three months.
The staples were at least seven to eight Weet-Bix per day for breakfast, dehydrated meals such as tinned food, pasta, and couscous for dinner, and a bottle of Coke every night.
He is the third person to successfully complete the trip.
Justin Jones and James Castrission arrived in New Plymouth in 2008, while Scott Donaldson made the same journey in 2018.
Jones reflected on the anniversary of his voyage in an Instagram post last month.
Andrew MacAuley first attempted the journey in 2007 but went missing within sight of the NZ coastline.
His flooded kayak was found. However, his body was never recovered.
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