A Tauranga man sets off on Saturday in an attempt to make a solo, continuous kayak voyage around New Zealand.
Agricultural contractor Tim Taylor has taken a year off work to prepare for the voyage, which he expects will take anything from three to six months to complete.
He will be escorted from Waimarino adventure park in Tauranga by fellow kayakers and the harbourmaster.
The full loop of 5,500km was navigated across three summers by Paul Caffyn in the late 1970s.
Mr Taylor hopes to do it all in one go, with his first stop en route to East Cape being Pukehina.
Mr Taylor intends to paddle clockwise around the coast. He aims to paddle up to 1km from the shore and to travel about 80km each day before stopping to sleep on a beach.
