Throughout the race, we interviewed competitors about their reasons for doing such an insane race. Some simply wanted to prove to themselves that they could do it; others thrived off the remote country that they would otherwise never visit; while some couldn’t really come up with an answer.

A few hundred years ago, millions of kiwi flooded our forests. Despite their tendency to stay hidden, kiwi were unmissable and eventually became the unlikely symbol for an entire nation’s cultural identity.

I met Benny at Kita Café in Morningside, central-ish Auckland. He wasn’t hard to recognise – Kina Construction merch was on full show and an unmistakable tradie-sized large flat white was already sitting in front of him.

Chasing workups can often be an incredibly exciting and rewarding way to catch fish at this time of year. But, like many styles of fishing, it can also sometimes be an expensive and frustrating way to fish. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to maximise your precious time out there while chasing those gannets around.

It is generally accepted that the kingfish in NZ largely ‘disappear’ for the winter months. They typically head to an unknown destination to fatten up and count down the days until they can make an appearance on every pinnacle and hotspot in the country during summer.