Well after what feels like a lifetime, we have finally arrived back in New Zealand. Although we are at sea now, in transit to Wellington, we have had a few days in Nelson to start getting used to shore life. It has been quite a shock to realise just how well the campaign has been going while we have been out in the middle of nowhere.
As a radio announcer said to me during an interview, everyone in New Zealand knows about bottom trawling now. Although we get sent lots of media clippings and of course all your web comments, it is hard to truly get a sense of how things run on land.
I have always thought this was going to be a great trip - but now it's really clear just how successful it's been. When we set out on the expedition, I told anyone who would listen, that we were off to make the unseen seen. And that's exactly what we have done.
We gathered images of deep sea destruction so shocking and so irrefutable that it's now impossible for anyone to seriously deny the problem. Now everyone needs to realise that the only way forward is to create a moratorium on bottom trawling in international waters.
So now, on to Wellington, where I will be speaking at the Eco Conference on Friday, about bottom trawling and our voyage to the middle of the Tasman Sea. Stay tuned, there'll be more postings from the Rainbow Warrior in the coming days!
