Three weeks - it's a long time to be away from land. There were a few jittery knees today as we clambered down the gangway, in Nelson, on New Zealand's South Island, to a warm welcome from our landlubbing colleagues. Nelson is the largest fishing port in Australasia, so it's a natural place for us to visit on our campaign to protect deep sea life.
Nelson has a reputation for sunny weather - but the sky was overcast this morning as we sailed in from the Tasman Sea. This just added to the eerie drama of returning to land - the sea was strangely flat, and the overlapping profiles of mountains on either side blended into the layers of cloud. A pod of dolphins stayed a little way off, breaking the water every minute or so. Out on deck, last minute preparations were being made - decks and windows washed, Protect Deep Sea Life banners secured to the railings.
I found myself wearing four layers of clothes - even Oscar was going around in gloves. After spending most of the trip at more balmy northerly latitudes, Nelson sits down at 41 degrees south, and a chill wind was blowing off the snowy mountains.
Well outside Nelson, the pilot boat arrived - we took the pilot on board, and he arrived in the bridge, taking charge of our navigation for the final approaches. In around the breakwater, and a turn, before we come alongside. There's a good crowd waiting for us on the wharf - friends, family, colleagues - and the Reverend Harvey Ruru, a Maori elder. There's also a cluster of journalists and camera crews - waiting to interview us for TV and newspapers. Since we caught the botttom trawler Waipori dumping a huge piece of coral last Sunday, we've been all over the media here in New Zealand.
When a ships comes into port, you just can't go jumping on the quayside right away. A couple of friendly customs officials came on board, and in New Zealand, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food arrive for an inspection. It's a pretty quick procedure - but when people you want to hug are waving from the quayside, a half an hour is a long time.
Finally, we're ashore - where a team of Greenpeace activists, along with the Reverend Ruru, launch into a Maori song, to welcome us, as guardians of the sea. Pete, our captain, acknowledged the welcome - and responded with thanks - and the rest of us responded with song. We'd been rehearsing all morning!
Te Aroha
Te Whakapono
I te Rangamarie
Tatou Tatou e
(The Love
The Truth
The Peace
All of Us)
And at last - we embrace. We're back... and it's good to be back. Now for the open boat days!
