A New Zealander has become an unplanned crew member on a yacht with Norwegians making an unsanctioned attempt to reach Antarctica.
Norwegians Jarle Andhoy, 34, and 19-year-old Samuel Massie, along with two crew, are attempting a voyage from New Zealand to the Ross Sea in former Auckland yacht Nilaya.
The pair are trying to find the wreckage of the Berserk II, which sank last year, killing three onboard.
Mr Andhoy told Norwegian public broadcasting company NRK the boat had left New Zealand in a hurry at the request of immigration authorities, before the New Zealand man was discovered on board.
He was part of the ship's "pit crew", Andhoy said.
The New Zealander would now remain on board for the voyage, despite not having a passport or papers with him, he said.
"We are five men who travel south now. Four who have been in the ice before, and a blind passenger, who is a local New Zealander," an English translation of Andhoy's comments reads.
The Nilaya was spotted by a Customs New Zealand observation flight outside New Zealand's 24 nautical mile contiguous zone on Thursday evening, a Customs spokeswoman says.
The plane circled the yacht and officers repeatedly tried to hail those on board but got no response.
The Nilaya had not been seen since and Customs is asking other seafarers to report sightings of the yacht.
Mr Andhoy and Mr Massie attempted to reach the South Pole on quad bikes in February last year to mark the 100th anniversary of Roald Amundsen's successful campaign.
But their yacht, the Berserk II, is thought to have sunk in McMurdo Sound, killing the three crew aboard.
NZN