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Andrew McAuley was an Australian adventurer renowned for his daring pursuits in mountain climbing and kayaking. In 2007, he embarked on an ambitious journey that he had been planning extensively for years — crossing the treacherous Tasman Sea.
McAuley was 39 years old when he went on this solo kayaking trip. At that point, he had several impressive achievements, including climbing mountain peaks in Australia, Pakistan, and Patagonia, as well as kayaking non-stop across hundreds of miles. Crossing the 994-mile Tasman Sea from Australia to New Zealand was an extraordinary challenge, one that no one had accomplished before. A few attempts were made by kayaker Paul Caffyn, but he was unsuccessful.
Authorities and the Australian Search and Rescue warned McAuley of the dangers of going on the dangerous waters, but he was undeterred. “I guess I’m really drawn to a journey like this. It’s a real personal challenge. There’s a great deal of satisfaction in coming up with an adventure that’s unlikely and improbable,” he said in a radio interview just before his trip.
In Dec. 2006, McAuley made his first attempt but called off his mission and returned after just two days. He had a difficult time keeping warm, and he feared hypothermia would set in before he completed his journey. After making changes to address the issue, he set out on his second attempt.
In a 19-foot touring kayak, McAuley started his journey on the Tasman Sea on Jan. 11, 2007. He provided video and photo updates of his journey, and it seemed all was going well. It wasn’t without a challenge, however, as McAuley had to endure a storm and survive big, crashing waves. On Feb. 8, nearly a month after he started his journey, he sent a text message to his wife Vicky that read, “See you 9 a.m. Sunday!” He was on the last leg of his trip with just 100 miles to go, and Vicky, their 3-year-old son Finlay, and family and friends were in New Zealand waiting to welcome him back to land.
Andrew McAuley almost made it to New Zealand
A day after that text, however, the New Zealand Coast Guard got an undecipherable radio call message. The ominous words that stood out were “help” and “sinking” and the search and rescue operations immediately began. On Feb. 10, McAuley’s capsized kayak was discovered 34 miles from his final destination. Among those found were his belongings, as well as a radio and his camera. There was no sign of the adventurer, and the search was called off after three days.
The memory card found in McAuley’s camera provided some insight into his adventure, with the final image being a selfie that he had taken with his face covered in sunscreen and the Tasman Sea as his backdrop. A tape from his handheld video camera was also recovered and in one of the early recordings, he talks to the camera saying, “It’s a true, true, stunning, stunning, adventure. I just hope that I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew, because there’s a few little things going wrong.” Despite the obstacles, McAuley seemed positive at that point, but he added that he wanted the trip “to be over with.”
It isn’t known what happened to McAuley, but the kayak’s designer speculates that the adventurer’s kayak capsized while the cockpit cover wasn’t secured, causing him to be separated from it. McAuley was presumed dead, and his family held a memorial in his honor on Feb. 27 where the video recording of his final adventure was played. In 2008, McAuley’s story was shared through the documentary Solo, which included interviews with close friends and family as well as clips of the videos he recorded while traversing the Tasman Sea.