A custom-made surfboard which fell off a boat in Tasmania almost 18 months ago has been found off the west coast of New Zealand, after drifting about 2,400 km (1,490 miles) across the sea.
Frenchman Alvaro Bon was kitesurfing in Raglan Harbour on the North Island about two weeks ago when he found the barnacle-covered board.
He posted his find on several online surfing groups and days later, a friend of the board's owner recognised it and connected the pair.
The board will be collected in Auckland this week, and reunited with its Australian owner, known only as Liam, who says the board was blown overboard in May 2024.
"He couldn't believe it," Bon told the BBC, adding that the board was irreplaceable because the designer no longer makes surfboards.
