Backed by over 60,000 supporters, he will then walk to Parliament to deliver the call to end bottom trawling.
Ridler Now at Wellington Harbour Entrance
By Live Ocean
3 April '26
Read time: 3 min
Article Summary
Main Points
Jono has reached the penultimate day of his Swim4TheOcean mission, with just 12km remaining before his final swim into Wellington.
After more than 1,350km and 460+ hours in the water, he is set to finish at Whairepo Lagoon at midday on 4 April.
Jono Ridler’s 1,367km Swim4TheOcean mission has reached its penultimate day, with the final swim now mapped and his arrival into Wellington set for noon tomorrow.
As he nears the end, a wave of public support has built behind him. Ridler’s epic endurance effort has united the nation on the importance of a healthy ocean, with more than 60,000 signatures on the Swim4TheOcean call to end bottom trawling.
Having swum past Pencarrow Lighthouse and into the outer entrance of Wellington Harbour, Ridler finished his most recent swim leg just south of Barrett Reef around 7pm on Thursday.
He’ll head back into the water from there today, crossing between Pencarrow and Palmer Head with the aim of reaching the Scorching Bay area.
The final leg of this unprecedented feat will begin near Scorching Bay, with Ridler tracking along Wellington’s inner harbour past Oriental Bay and into Whairepo Lagoon for the last few strokes of a 1,367km ocean swim.
Ridler will swim into the central Wellington lagoon at noon tomorrow, Saturday 4 April, completing the unprecedented journey that began at Waikuku Beach, North Cape, on 5 January.
Supporters can track his final push live at swim4theocean.org and witness the moment he arrives on the waterfront.
At the conclusion of his final swim, Ridler will walk to Parliament, where he will be met by the Hon Tama Potaka, Minister of Conservation, in a symbolic moment marking the delivery of his message to decision-makers.
That message will arrive with him, carried the length of the country and backed by a growing number of New Zealanders. More than 60,000 people have signed the call for change.
Key facts – Swim4TheOcean (on 3 April)
-
Signatures: More than 60,195
- Distance remaining: 12.71km
- Total distance swum: 1,354.12km
- Total hours swum: 463 hours
- Start: Waikuku Beach, North Cape – 5 January 2026
- Finish target: 12[,, 4 April 2026
New Zealanders can track Swim4TheOcean live and add their name to the call to end bottom trawling at swim4theocean.org
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
86,881 others calling for an end to bottom trawling!
86,881 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!
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