With arrival now set for Saturday 4 April, the final push is in sight alongside a surge of nearly 56,000 supporters backing the call to end bottom trawling.
Bulldozers and a Southerly
By Live Ocean
1 April '26
Read time: 3 min
Article Summary
Main Points
Launching Ngawi-style from a cray boat, Jono completed a shortened but gritty three-hour swim in rough, squally conditions, adding 7.8km and reducing the distance to just under 50km.
Despite wind, rain and jellyfish, he continues to edge closer to Wellington as conditions dictate progress.
Setting off from the south-facing, black-sand beach, iconic for it’s line-up of cray boats that launch off trailers towed by bulldozers, the Swim4TheOcean operation went true Ngawi style for Tuesday, 31 March.
Jono and the crew went out aboard a local crayfish boat, backed down the beach by bulldozer, to the last marked GPS point.
Jono was back in the water just inside Cape Palliser lighthouse, picking up from where he finished his massive seven hour 19 minute stint the day prior. His starting point in line of sight of the western edge of Palliser Bay, until cloud lowered and rain set in along with the breeze.
Undeterred, Jono started swimming just after 9am. Mid-session, Andy Tuke reported: “Jono’s doing remarkably well in these conditions – we don’t know how long the swim is going to last for, and when we’re going to get adverse current.”
Just after midday the call was made to end the swim leg and return ashore to Ngawi due to deteriorating conditions. A group of local school children were on the beach to welcome him in.
By then, he’d made 7.8km of progress, cutting his total distance to go to 49.5km.
After the swim, Jono said: “It was a moody old day and sea this morning. We knew that the sea and swell were coming up, and I got in the water and all of those things were true. We had this squally wind and rain coming through – it was kind of fun if I’m honest. We still had the jellies around, my stinging friends don’t seem to want to leave me alone.
“By the end of the day we managed to get in about three hours of swimming. Not quite what we were wanting. But ultimately it was deemed too unsafe to continue to operate in, so we headed back to land early. Back out there tomorrow morning, hoping to get some of that tidal push. The sea is easing from this afternoon.”
His arrival into Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington has now been confirmed for Saturday, 4 April. It’s exactly 90 days after he started at Waikuku Beach, North Cape.
Arrival date: Saturday, 4 April
Time: Jono will swim in at midday
Arrival location: Whairepo Lagoon, central Wellington
After arriving, he will walk to Parliament as the last stage of his epic journey to deliver the Swim4TheOcean call to decision makers.
The message, backed by a growing wave of public support, is an ask for edecision makers to commit to end bottom trawling. Close to 56,000 people have now signed the call for action.
Follow Jono’s progress on the live tracker and add your name at Swim4TheOcean.
Projected distance to go: 49.50km
Total distance covered: 1316.48km
Swim at a glance – 31 March
Swim 1
Time: 3 hours 1 minute
Distance: 7.8km
Average speed: 2.60km/h
Join The Call To End Bottom Trawling
New Zealand is still bottom trawling seamounts in our own waters, and the only nation still bottom trawling seamounts in the South Pacific high seas.
It’s time to stop being an outlier and protect the ocean’s most vital habitats.
We’re calling on the New Zealand Government to end bottom trawling on all seamounts – at home and in the high seas by the end of 2027 – and to activate a quick transition away from bottom trawling entirely.
We are a nation of innovators and ocean people.
It’s time to do the right thing.
For the ocean. For our future.
Add your name to the
86,882 others calling for an end to bottom trawling!
86,882 others calling for an end to bottom trawling!
Thank you for getting behind Swim4TheOcean’s ambition for a healthy ocean and supporting our call for an end to bottom trawling!
Leave your message for Jono
