Soup, sunrise, and a volcano: my Auckland Triple Crown

There are swims that feel like “events”, and then there are swims that feel like a proper little season — tides, weather apps, early alarms, soup on the stove, and a rotating cast of brilliant humans who somehow make the whole thing possible.

The soup, in particular, is a constant. A simple leek and potato soup, first made by my mum back in the 1980s, and somehow still fuelling every swim decades later. It’s become part of the ritual — made the day before, packed and ready, reliable and exactly what I need. This time, it worked a treat. Supporters got involved in making it, and were very happy to take care of the leftovers too

The soup!

The Auckland Open Triple Crown is three iconic swims:

• Round Rangitoto — 20km around Auckland’s most recognisable volcano
• Tiritiri Matangi to Waiheke — 24km of proper open water
• The SETI Triangle swim —14km Kohimarama Beach → Rangitoto → Brown’s Island → back to Kohi

The series was only established in 2025, and when I lined this up, just two people had completed all three. I loved the idea of doing the Triple Crown — but I couldn’t help thinking: what if I stitched them together.Not over weeks. Not when it suited. But three swims, over one week.

No one had done the Auckland Triple Crown like this before.

A small window… and a slightly ambitious plan

I was to be on standby for two weeks from from 27 April, ready to head to Auckland and wait for the right conditions, maybe do one swim and then a few days late the next one.

However, after my last two big swims — Port to Pub (25km) and the Derwent River Big Swim (34km) which has been only 3 days apart – I knew I had the endurance, but also knew I’d be asking a fair bit of the body.
I spoke to Jim, one of the Swimscape team, in early April and said: I think I can do two of the swims back-to-back, so we’ll need 3–4 good days and I am ready from now

Then the call came: Saturday and Sunday good. Monday not good. Tuesday maybe good.

So we locked it in:
• Saturday — Rangitoto
• Sunday — Tiritiri to Waiheke
• Monday — rest
• Tuesday — SETI Triangle

Which meant the two longest swims back-to-back. Because that seemed like a good idea (at the time!)

I stayed with my friend Nic Russell in Devonport, just minutes from the start. Nic is the founder of Kenzie’s Gift, and she was a huge part of making the whole weekend work — not just hosting but coming out on the boats and being part of the swims themselves.

Nick was brilliant, chief cheer leader, connector, host with the most— and it made a real difference having her alongside me throughout. And then there were the wider group of friends — appearing at starts and finishes, crewing, lifting, driving, cheering. Open water swimming might look solo, but it never is.

Swim 1: Rangitoto — volcano left, skyline right

We started from Takapuna boat ramp, which felt quietly special given I used to live there.
Cold morning, calm conditions, good crew. I stepped into the water, walked out, touched the rock — and off we went.

Rangitoto is a beautiful swim. The island sits solidly beside you, mostly untouched. The highlight was rounding the red-and-white lighthouse, where the tide picked up and gave me a push — always a good moment.

As you come around the front, the skyline appears: Takapuna, the city, the Sky Tower. You can’t always feel progress, but you can see it.

Finished in just under 6 hours. Very happy.

Swim 2: Tiritiri Matangi to Waiheke — long, open, and unexpectedly social

Early start. Sore body.

Sarah Harrow crewed — always reassuring. She has crewed for me on Foveaux and on the Channel of Bones in Hawaii. There’s something very grounding about having someone there who knows you well. Sarah was brilliant — calm, practical, quietly encouraging — and it made a real difference having her alongside me throughout on this the longest swim. It gave me an increased confidence.

This swim is different. Once you leave Tiritiri, there’s nothing to tuck in behind — just a big, open expanse of ocean. Sky, swell, horizon. Waiheke is there, but it’s a long way off.

Then — one of the best parts — people started appearing. Friends coming past in boats, stopping for quick chats mid feed, briefly turning a long open water crossing into something oddly social. It lifts you more than you’d expect.

Conditions were near perfect. Finished at Palm Beach in 7:59 — just under eight hours

Friends appearing: & at the finish with L-R -Duncan (chief organiser), me, Sanne (first person to swim this route) and the support crew star Sarah Harrow

The wobble

The swim was fine. The boat ride back was not.

My back seized up from the combination of two long swims and bumpy ride. By the time I got off, I could barely walk.

An ice cream appeared (excellent decision), and I made it back to base in a fairly broken state.

The rest day

Monday was about recovery.

Stretching, massage, tea, patience, painkillers.

Gradually, movement came back.

Swim 3: The SETI Triangle — and a surprisingly good body

I was nervous heading into this one — not about the distance, but about whether my back would hold.
It did more than that — I swam really well.

The structure helped:
• Kohi to Rangitoto
• Rangitoto to Brown’s Island
• Brown’s Island back to Kohi

You can see progress, which lifts you. The awkward bit is clearing the water on each island — uneven ground, oyster shells, not ideal. At one point I resorted to a very unglamorous tummy-scooch back in the shallow water, prioritising safety over dignity.

Visiting each of the islands on Seti’s triangle swim

Highlights included:

• friends at the start
• kids cheering from lookout points
• being told mid-swim to “wave to your fans” on a cliff
Which I did.

Just as I was about to stand up and finish the last leg, I spotted a large ray gliding beneath me in the shallows. It felt like a clear instruction from the ocean: not finished yet.
So I stayed horizontal a little longer — swimming on, just in case!

Finished in four and half hours — faster than expected.

The whole thing

58km

3 swims

4 days

With outstanding support from the crew — Duncan, Jim, Mike, Roger — and a wide circle of friends who made it all possible (Sarah, Nic, Jane, Nick, Jody, James, Dave, Celia, Chris, Raechel)

Yes, it was the fastest known completion of the Auckland Triple Crown in one go. But more importantly, it was one of those sequences of days that just worked.

As always, the swims were also in support of Kenzie’s Gift — a charity very close to my heart. Being able to connect swimming with something that genuinely helps families through unimaginably hard times gives the effort real meaning. If you feel you can donate please click this link Help kids and if you have donated already – thank-you.

With Nic from Kenzies Gift and Mike Cochrane – key crew!

And in the end, it really did come down to:

the soup
the sunrise
the volcano
the people

And the sense that I’m in a good place heading into Japan.
Now the job is simple: keep steady, keep swimming — and keep making soup.