Yep, people are now kayaking into the ocean to win gyms in ‘Pokémon Go’

Too far is not far enough when it comes to Pokémon Go.

Ever since the augmented reality mobile game launched in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. last week, players have been dealing with the consequences of avid Pokémon fandom: Some have apparently gotten fired, while others are kayaking into bodies of water in the middle of winter to capture gyms for Team Blue.

Pokémon Go requires players to explore their surroundings, searching for rare Pokémon and battling for control of gyms. As it turns out, those gyms can be located in some hard to reach places. 

On Sunday local time, a Twitter user in Wellington, New Zealand, who goes by the handle Pokéfan Libby noticed a pretty inaccessible gym located by a fountain in Wellington Harbour. 

It wasn’t too far for two intrepid individuals, however, who had decided to kayak out to the fountain to do battle.

That pair was Kelsey Thomson and Lizzy Eden, both 24, who describe themselves as “longtime Pokémon fans.”

They spotted the hard-to-get to gym, then held by Team Yellow, in Wellington Harbour during a Pokémon hunt Thursday evening. “We didn’t get home till about 11:30 and we both work full time,” Thomson told Mashable Australia. “We saw the gym in Wellington Harbour and were like ‘we have to get this.'”

To make the half-hour paddling journey one way, they hired a kayak. “The guy that hired the kayaks out to us was actually on Team Yellow … so he was a bit like ‘maybe I won’t hire them out to you,'” she laughed. 

Thomson and Eden had no idea someone was live tweeting their exploits, and were shocked when Thomson’s tweet about the victory later blew up. “We’ve been laughing all day at the ridiculous response,” she said. 

Thomson said she planned to continue mixing Pokémon Go with adventure, as she’s training to hike Mount Kilimanjaro in November. “I’m sure I’ll be doing plenty of simultaneous Pokémon-hunting and training trips,” she added.

Tragically, Team Yellow has now retaken control of the gym. “Team Yellow has a boat. One of them owns a boat, so that’s not fair,” Thomson said.

Honestly, has a mobile game ever made this many people go outside at once?

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