The little van that could

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Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

Dan Melling and Adam Turnbull became the first people to cross Cook Strait in a modified amphibious Toyota Town Ace on Sunday.

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BLAIR ENSOR/Marlborough Express

VAN-CY A TRIP: Adam Turnbull and Dan Melling yesterday crossed Cook Strait in their amphibious van called Roofliss.

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"We knocked the bastard off," screamed Adam Turnbull when he arrived at Mana Marina late yesterday afternoon.

It was not quite Mt Everest, but the crossing of Cook Strait by Adam and his partner in crime, Dan Melling, has to "rate right up there", said friend Kevin Norman as the pair's vehicle, Roofliss, entered its name in the record books as the first amphibious van to cross the treacherous stretch of water.

The lad's epic journey began at 6am at Waikawa Bay Marina.

With Metallica pumping and a shriek from Adam, "Please, God, help me", the black Toyota Town Ace rolled into the marina's murky water under the cover of darkness.

"We'll see you in the strait," Adam shouted to the support crew.

By 6.27am, each had their first beer in hand and breakfast was being prepared.

"Mint mate ... we might have a sneaky pie heated on the exhaust."

The calm of Queen Charlotte Sound was broken about 6.45am, as the InterIslander ferry ploughed by. The van pirates gave a two-fingered salute and soldiered on.

At about 8am, Dan made a Fathers' Day phone call to Peter Melling, who later had a bottle of wine delivered to him.

"It was pretty brilliant ... what a Father's Day pressie," said Mr Melling, who was on hand to meet the pair at Mana.

"They [Dan and Adam] are a bit off the planet, but they're pretty intelligent and responsible."

By 8.25am, the pair's pies had heated, their toilet, out of one of the van's windows was in use, and the 65-kilometre journey to Mana Marina was looking quite plausible.

"I don't know what everyone's been going on about," said Dan. "It's nice and smooth and dry."

However, at 9.15am, things took a turn for the worse when the engine suddenly cut out.

"It's alright", shouted Dan.

He ducked into the cabin, stuck his head out the window and, with a spanner in hand, announced that a lead from the battery had come loose.

"The heart's definitely beating now," said Adam.

About 10.20am, the van emerged from the northern entrance of the Marlborough Sounds and met the initial chop of the strait head on. Waves pushed over the bow as the vessel, at times, broached.

The pair bailed the van out using a bucket, but never looked fazed, and the van sailed on in near perfect conditions.

They passed The Brothers islands soon after, and a small pod of dolphins escorted the van briefly out into the middle of Cook Strait.

"They probably haven't seen mag wheels before," joked Dan.

About halfway across the strait, the van struck another problem when the support boat caught "the big one".

A lure the 30-foot (9-metre) support launch had been trawling out the back narrowly missed tangling in the van's propeller and latched on to the polystyrene undercarriage.

Dan, hanging out the van's window, managed to sever the line.

As the North Island drew near, support boat skipper Jimma Dillon couldn't believe what he had witnessed.

"I just love it," he said.

"I can't believe how it [Roofliss] has handled.

"It is actually rolling less than this boat is.

"It seems as stable as can be. It's proved itself," he said.

"I think it shows real Kiwi ingenuity and spirit at its best.

"I do think there are a shortage of people like that in New Zealand."

At 3.45pm, the amphibious vessel entered Mana Marina, nine hours and 45 minutes after leaving Waikawa.

The lads were met by a crowd of about 200 people, who greeted them with a heroes' welcome as the van drove unscathed out of the water.

"We are definitely pretty stoked. It [the crossing] has got to be up there. She's pretty high in New Zealand achievements," said Dan.

"We made it and we didn't sink and we didn't get eaten by sharks.

"We had life jackets, but we didn't need them because it was such a seaworthy craft," said Adam.

Their message for the youth of today: "Get off the Playstation and go and turn something into something stupid," Dan said.

- The Marlborough Express

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