University of Otago commerce student and New Zealand rowing representative Ben Mason will hit the water in Auckland early this morning to start his northern odyssey.
The trip has a goal of raising $20,000 for the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ.
It is a cause close to Mr Mason’s heart, his mother Sonia having succumbed to the disease in 2007, when he was 6 years old.
‘‘It’s quite close to the family, and a lot of people in the country will have a close connection with it.’’
The voyage was expected to take a month and Mr Mason will row up to 10 hours a day, weather permitting.
Originally, he had planned to row around the South Island but it ‘‘turned into a logistical nightmare’’, and health and safety concerns scuppered the idea.
A circumnavigation of the South Island was not completely off the table for the future, but would take a back seat once international rowing competitions restarted after Covid-19.
