Bokyong Mun was ''a little bit'' worried about setting out on a three-day trip in a kayak made out of recycled plastic bottles.
Fortunately, things turned out buoyantly, the first-year University of Otago student said, on her return from the kayaking trip through the Abel Tasman National Park late last month.
Ms Mun, an 18-year-old University of Otago law and science student, from Dunedin, was one of 26 people to embark on the adventure.
The kayaks were made out of slightly fewer than 1000 plastic bottles by trip participants based in Auckland, who brought the kayaks down to the Abel Tasman for the journey.
The idea was to raise awareness about recycling and human impact on the environment.
In particular, she said, the trip was to bring attention to the overuse of plastic bottles.
''We created the kayaks out of bottles because single-use bottles are really harmful and don't biodegrade,'' she said.
''[The use of plastic bottles] is just sort of a silly concept that our culture is shaped around.''
In addition to doing media interviews, trip participants were getting their message to primary and intermediate pupils.
They made an ''educational pack'' on environmental issues and the trip to give schools and provided updates before and during the trip.
''Now that we're finished, we'll chase them up again with an educational package about how we can live sustainably in our environment,'' Ms Mun said.
