A young adventurer took disaster relief into his own hands yesterday, battling stormy weather conditions and severely damaged roads across the Coromandel to deliver sandbags to people in need.
Brando Yelavich, aka "Wildboy" received a message on his Facebook page which stated he could help others in his recently purchased state army truck.
Starting his journey in Hahei, Mr Yelavich drove across the Coromandel to Thames where he loaded his truck up with sand and headed up the coast along the closed State Highway 25.
The 23-year-old documented his journey, which begun at 10.30am yesterday and ended at 9pm, on his GoPro and uploaded the footage to his Facebook page.
"My truck was really the only thing that could get in there," Mr Yelavich told 1 NEWS NOW.
"There was a lot of carnage along the way. It didn't stop me."
Entering the closed highway, Mr Yelavich believes authorities thought he was part of the Defence Force due to his truck and let him through cordons that were put in place.
The extent of damage to the coastal highway is clearly seen in his video, with huge chunks of the road washed away and debris covering much of the land.
Mr Yelavich took it upon himself to also help home owners who weren't at their properties by stacking up sandbags along their homes to prevent further flooding and damage.
"Everyone was just so happy and amazed. The majority of the damage had been done however."
"By doing such a small little action will have an effect on how people act and respond to natural disasters.
"I hope to inspire other people to get out and help their communities in need."
Mr Yelavich isn't a stranger to adventure. Inspired by the movie "Into the Wild", he has circumnavigated New Zealand's coastline by foot, travelling over 8,000km, taking him two years to complete.
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