By Kim Choe
The team aiming to be the first to row from Sydney to Auckland is making the most of good weather off Northland's coast.
Team Gallagher expects to make landfall in the next two to three days, where they will restock before one final push towards the big smoke.
And seven weeks after last being on solid ground, the team was in no doubt about what they were missing most.
“Burgers, beers, family, shower!,” they say.
Yesterday they finally rounded Cape Reinga - no small feat, given the area's reputation.
“I was talking to a cray fisherman two days ago. He was effing and bliming saying, ‘these guys are mad, this is the worst bit of water in the world,” says Rob Hamill.
The sight of land has given the team a fresh boost of energy, but they are not celebrating just yet.
“It’s not over until you reach Auckland, so every body’s just got to stay focused -we’ve still got a few hundred miles ahead of us. But everybody’s in good spirits and looking forward to ending the never ending story,” says Martin Berka.
The “never ending story” is now in its 50 day and long gone are the team's hopes of beating a 31 day trans-Tasman record set in 2007 by four Australians, who rowed in the opposite direction from New Zealand to Australia.
“I promised my wife I’d be home for Christmas – I’m a little bit late,” says team leader, Nigel Cherrie.
Team Gallagher's journey so far has been hindered by extreme weather, broken equipment, and injuries and being confined to a 10-and-a-half by two metre space has taken its toll.
“There were times we seriously didn’t think we were going to make it. There were a couple of discussions on board whether we had to actually head back to Australia at some stages,” says Cherrie.
In the next two days the rowers plan to berth somewhere south of Cape Brett, where they will stock up on supplies.
It will take them anywhere between one and two weeks to reach Auckland, and they hope there will be more than just jellybeans waiting for them when they arrive.
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