Disturbing final recording of man who disappeared 17 years ago

In 2007 a kayaker disappeared at sea after attempting to make it from Australia to New Zealand in a solo voyage.

38-year-old Andrew McAuley had been trying to kayak across the Tasman Sea in a one-man vessel, having previously made a number of other journeys.

Andrew had become the first person to make a non-stop kayak crossing of the Bass Strait between the Australian mainland and Tasmania.

He also kayaked across the Gulf of Carpentaria, a body of water between Australia and Papua New Guinea, as well as journeying within the Antarctic Circle.

In addition to his keenness for kayaking, Andrew was also a mountaineer who had climbed peaks all over the world.

Andrew McAuley attempted to kayak from Australia to New Zealand. (TV3)

However, at the end of 2006 he made an attempt to kayak from Australia to New Zealand.

His first go in December had to be called off after the first night as Andrew had trouble keeping warm inside the kayak.

A second attempt was made on 11 January, 2007 and he made it almost all of the way to New Zealand before he sent out a distress message asking for help.

The final recording of Andrew's attempts to signal his distress were part of the documentary Solo, which played his final conversation.

He said: "I've got an emergency situation, I am in a kayak about 30 kilometres from Milford Sound.

Andrew had completed a number of other voyages across the sea in a kayak. (TV3)

"I need, I need a rescue. My kayak's sinking."

Further audio had Andrew saying he 'fell off into the sea and I'm going down', and that was the last they heard from the man.

His kayak had been damaged in a storm a couple of days before he sent out his distress message, and it was recovered without Andrew's body on 10 February around 30 nautical miles from Milford Sound, his expected point of arrival at New Zealand.

A search for Andrew was called off two days later.

The kayak was missing the capsule he used for when he was sleeping.

For the lengthy journey Andrew's kayak was made so he could fit his body inside it and place the capsule over the hatch to seal the gap and let only air in.

This allowed him to sleep in the vessel, but it also meant that when the capsule was in storage it was impossible to roll the kayak.

If the kayak capsized then Andrew had to swim out of it, restore it himself and get himself back out of the water without assistance.

Andrew's wife Vicki also wrote a book - titled Solo like the documentary - about her husband.

Topics: World News, Australia