Sam Thom’s Great Barrier Island SUP mission

The young distance paddler Sam Thom has just finished another SUP mission. The first time we came across this young Kiwi he had just completed his dream of paddling around Waikeke Island, off the coast of Auckland. We knew it wouldn’t be long until he had another SUP mission under his belt! On Tuesday 15 April, 2014 Sam Thom (25) from New Zealand set off on a mission to Stand Up Paddleboard 88 km non-stop from Great Barrier Island to Auckland City. This is the longest distance ever paddled on a Stand Up Paddleboard in New Zealand. Sam departed from Great Barrier Island at Whangaparapara Harbour at 6:55am and paddled 88 km reaching Okahu Bay in Auckland just under 11 hours later at 5:50pm.  It was a huge physical and mental test and Sam was extremely relieved when he finally reached the shore at Okahu Bay. He never got off his board at any point throughout the trip. To make the mission even more memorable he saw large pods of dolphins throughout the paddle that swam under and around his board.