The Rainbow Warrior and the Esperanza united earlier in the expedition.
It's the first time the Esperanza has visited New Zealand, so
we'll all be down at Princes Wharf in Waitemata Harbour, Auckland
to meet her, and we have a traditional Maori welcome prepared.
We've all been singing during our summer break, practising the
waiata (song) to formally welcome the crew to our beautiful
shores.
We're ready for a busy couple of weeks; holding open days for
the public, helping to prepare the ship for the Southern Ocean, and
sharing stories with the crew of love, life and sailing the high
seas.
As we prepare for another summer of doing our damndest to stop
whaling in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary, and working closely with
Greepeace Japan, we also find ourselves reflecting on our history
of campaigning at sea.
As the stories start, so do the tears and laughter; remembering
the villains and sharing memories of heroes.
Even before Greenpeace New Zealand was officially founded, Kiwis
went to sea to protect our environment, sailing with David
McTaggart on the yacht Vega to French Polynesia to protest against
nuclear testing in the early 1970's, and the many peace flotillas
to the test site at Moruroa since.
In the past three years, volunteers and staff have battled high
seas on the Rainbow Warrior II to bring attention to bottom
trawling, determined to stop this destructive fishing method.
From the poignancy of the voices recalling the original Rainbow
Warrior, I realise she is never far from our minds, and she is
embedded in our history - not just Greenpeace's, but also New
Zealand's.
Not long after the bombing, New Zealand became nuclear free -
and this year we'll be celebrating the 20th anniversary of that
historic legislation.
We've also recently commemorated 20 years since the Antarctic
campaign, when another Greenpeace ship, the Gondwana, sailed
regularly from New Zealand to the ice, campaigning successfully to
achieve a world park there.
As we envisage the Esperanza sailing through the Pacific
Islands, pictures of the Rainbow Warrior, and all her journeys
through the Islands come to mind. Thankfully we still have some of
her crew among us, sharing their stories and their insights.
When the Rainbow Warrior was bombed by the French in 1985, it
tore a hole in our hearts, but it did not diminish our passion or
stop us returning to the sea.
I wonder if there has ever been a time when there wasn't a Kiwi
aboard at least one of the Greenpeace ships, young and spirited,
craving adventure, and with a fire in their belly to protect our
environment and defend our oceans.
Haere mai Esperanza - we're ready.
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Keep in touch with the Esperanza as it heads for NZ