NZer aboard rogue adventurer's yacht

A Kiwi is understood to have become an unplanned crew member on a yacht bound for Antarctica skippered by a Norwegian adventurer.

The man, who does not have a passport with him, had been doing some work on the boat when it left New Zealand in a hurry after being told to go by immigration authorities, Norwegian public broadcasting company NRK reported.

Skipper Jarle Andhoey told NRK he and other crew members later discovered the Kiwi onboard the 16-metre steel yacht Nilaya after its rushed departure.

The boat left Auckland last weekend.

Andhoey has said he planned to sail to McMurdo Sound to find out what happened to his three crew who died when their yacht Berserk sunk last year.