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The two Australian kayakers who successfully paddled across the Tasman Sea are set to make their first public appearance since completing their historic voyage.
After a big dinner of ribs last night James Castrission and Justin Jones have been lying low in New Plymouth following their trans-Tasman kayaking
adventure.
They'll be signing autographs and meeting the public at the Puke Ariki Museum on the New Plymouth waterfront at 5pm.
Yesterday the pair were in reflective mood upon their arrival.
"Sixty-two days is a long time to think and unfortunately for our parents we've got some good ideas," James Castrission, 25, said at the end of their epic journey across the Ditch yesterday.
Castrission and Jones, 24, ended their record-breaking paddle at New Plymouth, two months to the day after setting off from Forster in New South Wales.
They are the first people to successfully kayak across the Tasman Sea. Another Australian, Andrew McAuley, disappeared off the coast of Fiordland last February.
Four rowers completed the journey from Northland to Sydney on December 30, but Castrission and Jones are the first kayakers to finish the crossing.
The distance across the Tasman is 2200km but they paddled an extra 1000km because of strong headwinds and swirling currents.
Despite predictions to the contrary, the pair were able to jump out of their kayak unassisted and stumble into the arms of family and friends.
About 100 boats and kayaks had accompanied them on the last few kilometres of their journey through the New Plymouth breakwater, and the cheers of thousands of well-wishers greeted them as they landed at Ngamotu Beach.
"Thank you, Taranaki," Jones told the crowd after emerging from the throng. "One thing that kept us going was kia kaha, kia kaha, stay strong."
Said Castrission: "What a welcome. You guys are absolute rocks."
Conch shells sounded as the kayakers approached the shore and local Maori gave a rousing powhiri. A sign held by a group in the crowd said - with a nod to Australia's infamous tourism ad - "So where the bloody hell have you been?"
The celebrations marked the end of 62 days at sea during which Castrission and Jones encountered sharks, howling winds and treacherous waves. At one point, they were confined to the "womb" of their 9m kayak, Lot 41, for four days.
The journey had been supposed to take 42 days, which would have seen them arrive before Christmas, and they were forced to ration their once-daily, 6000-calorie dehydrated meals.
Their desalination pump also broke halfway through the journey and they had to manually desalinate the 10 litres of drinking water they needed daily - a task that took several hours.
The men, particularly Castrission, also battled intense pain in their legs, and their support crew feared they would not be able to walk when they arrived.
But although they were shaky and clung to their family, friends and each other for support once on terra firma, they were both declared physically fit after a medical examination.
They appeared in remarkable shape considering their feat, both with huge grins and neither looking particularly skinny. Jones said it felt "bloody strange" but good to be on land again.
They readily accepted two bottles of beer and a container of fresh cherries passed to them by people in the crowd, and paid tribute to each other for surviving the journey.
"When I was down, he pulled me back up and when he was down, I hope I did the same for him," Jones said.
Said Castrission: "He's my best mate and he always will be. I love you, bro."
The pair, who had already kayaked the 2600km length of Australia's Murray River, said they were planning other adventures but did not elaborate on what they were.
The kayakers also praised their Lot 41 craft - named after the Trentham sales catalogue entry for New Zealand's most famous transtasman racing export, Phar Lap.
"We knew when we left Australia that she was going to protect us and we were the biggest weakness on board, and it was just a matter of our minds getting us through it," Castrission said.
They earlier had tearful reunions with their families, who expressed joy at having them back on land.
"I'm just ecstatic," said Castrission's mother, Vivienne. "I'm walking on air."
She was not sure what her first words to her son were, saying, "I don't even know if I said anything. It was just the look, the hug, and physical closeness."
The kayakers first sighted New Zealand at 7.03pm on Friday - their first glimpse of the coast, the majestic peak of Mt Taranaki.
"It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," said Jones.
* The kayakers plan to be at Puke Ariki, on the New Plymouth waterfront, this evening to sign autographs.
