Hundreds of people gathered at Campbell's Bay to witness a remarkable feat of human endurance as 33-year-old Jono Ridler completed a 100km swim in open water on Wednesday night.
The swim was completed without a wetsuit or any assistance making it the longest continuous solo-unassisted open-water swim ever recorded in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Jono Ridler set off from Aotea Great Barrier Island at 10 am on Tuesday and arrived at Campbell's Bay on Auckland's North Shore 33 hours and 13 minutes later.
Along the way, his support team provided him with liquid energy boosters, doughnuts, and meatballs to keep him going. Despite the rain pounding down and the tough conditions with two-meter swells and 30-knot winds at the end of the swim, he made it back in one piece.
The hundreds of people who turned up to witness this incredible achievement were there not just to show their support for Jono Ridler but also to support his cause.
The swim was not just a personal accomplishment for Jono Ridler, but also a call to action for the government and the people of New Zealand to take action to clean up and protect the Hauraki Gulf.
The Gulf supports 45 percent fewer fish than it did in 1925 while half of all monitored Auckland beaches have exceeded contamination levels at least once.
Live Ocean Foundation Program Director Andrew Judge, who was also part of Jono's support crew told Newshub, "Jono's done this because he wants to draw attention to the state of the Hauraki gulf."
"He felt he had the capacity to step up and bring attention to the state of it and what needs to be done. So Jono's delivered for the Gulf, and now it's time for the government to step up and deliver," he said.
Ridler and his team are hopeful his monumental achievement will be acknowledged and matched by action towards cleaning up the Hauraki Gulf.
