Listen to the ‘Into the Wild’ film review.

Castrission speaks by satellite phone in an exclusive interview about the expedition to be the first to cross the Tasman Sea – from Australia to New Zeland with kayaking partner Justin Jones. At the time of the interview, James and Justin were out on the Tasman, 115 kilmetres short of NZ. A few kilometres later, they were to sight Mt Taranaki in New Zealand and paddle non-stop, flat out to reach their goal. This was their last interview in the midst of their journey.

Click on this link for an article from the Sydney Morning Herald on the kayakers and how they’ve almost reached NZ. My satellite phone interview with James Castrission gets a mention.

Just a few days before his recent death, Sir Edmund Hillary had been planning to meet the two young Australian kayakers who had the courage to paddle for two months from Australia across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand.

After paddling 2000 kilometres, kayakers James Castrission and Justin Jones are now within kilometres of achieving their goal, but will miss out on meeting the legendary New Zealander Hillary following his passing last Friday.

There are echoes of Hillary though in the tenacity and determination of the kayakers’ expedition. No one has yet paddled a kayak between the two countries. A year ago Australian adventurer Andrew McAuley tragically disappeared just 90 kilometres short.

Conditions on the Tasman Sea, casually referred to by New Zealanders as “the ditch”, are in fact notoriously difficult and Catrission and Jones have not been spared.

With a short distance to go, Castrission spoke by satellite phone with Phil Stubbs for The Environment Show. The pair come across as remarkably positive and determined which is extraordinary given what they’ve been through and the photos which clearly show they look physically knackered.

Sleep deprivation was probably the worst part of the trip Castrission told me. The pair went without sleep for long periods, almost 4 days at one stage, when they were battered by huge swells of up to 10 metres and spent days on end stuck in their cabin “being tossed around like a sock in a washing machine”. The swells a consequence of a cyclone north of New Zealand.

They’ve pair have done it tough too with currents. When they left Foster, the Eastern Australian Current gave them huge distance toward NZ in only a few days. Half way across the Tasman though, they got stuck in a massive eddy which pulled them backwards, so much so they ended up being back where they were 10 days before. Incredibly, Castrission and Jones decided to paddle west back to Australia to get themselves out of the whirlpool. And in the last few days, frustratingly close to finishing, the pair were trapped in another eddy caused by the NZ continental shelf.

The duo have been posting podcasts to their internet site throughout their trip. The standout for me is the ’shark’ podcast. They had 2 and 4 metre sharks circling them for an hour and banging up against their hull. Justin and James had to go to sleep that night knowing those sharks were only centimetres away from their heads.

James and Justin are two remarkable young Australians. The determination and professionalism of their expedition is impressive, particularly given they are in their mid-20’s now and started preparing for this trip in their early 20’s. It’s that determination which will get them over the line. Like marathon runners though, I reckon they may collapse in a heap when they get there. And they may not have enough strength in their legs to stand as their muscles have slowly deteriorated over the two months of paddling.

A huge welcome is expected in New Plymouth, south Auckland, where the pair are expected to land. Depending on weather and current conditions, they are expected to arrive on Sunday, but keep watching their site.

I asked James Castrission if he would be adverse to a Kiwi bringing out a beer each for them when they got close to the coast. He didn’t say no.

You can see how close the pair are, hear previous podcasts and write them a message at: www.crossingtheditch.com.au I am compiling a ‘best of’ their podcasts from “The Ditch” for the team’s managers Race Recon. Check their site again for it on Monday 21 January.