What a hectic Sunday! After the ceremonies at dawn and at the site of the old Warrior, the day had already seemed long. But by 11am, I was in my bare feet, helping pull the Waka Nui ashore in beautiful Matauri Bay, the masts of the Rainbow Warrior just visible near the Cavalli Islands - then a party of us headed by back to Auckland, where we had a reception at the St. James Hall, on Queens St.
About 40 of us took a loooooooooooong bus ride from Amsterdam to Paris to help mark the anniversary of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior. We were a bit late in arriving, and the briefings for how we were going to turn a crowd of people and a bunch of T-shirts into a message of peace had already begun. I walked into this massive warehouse on a farm outside of Paris and my jaw dropped. There were more than 500 people there, and it was chocker block. They were young, old, all races all colours. There were rasta dreads and crew cuts, high heels and Doc Martens. And they were all there to say something to the world about peace. What a bunch of naive hippies. I nearly wept with pride to count myself among them.
We had a very early start this morning - and I mean early. We were tumbled out of our bunks 5am, to prepare for the day ahead. Last night we had a bit of a party on board - the crews of the other yachts in our flotilla came on board, as did lots of people from around Whangaroa. With all the talk and music and food on deck, many of us had seen the wrong side of midnight.
Hello planet earth, Xavier speaking, live from the new Rainbow Warrior. It's the most famous boat of the Greenpeace fleet, back on sea, stronger than ever, and faithful to its commitment to keep on struggling for a better and greener world. We're here somewhere north of New Zealand, to commemorate the bombing of the old Rainbow Warrior.
A sunny lunchtime - just passing Cape Brett at the southern end of the Bay of Islands. We’re all gathered in the wheelhouse of Henk Haazen's expedition yacht Tiama for lunch, after a rather snotty night coming up from Auckland. When Ruby and I came up on watch at 0400 this morning, John summed things up as 'extremely unpleasant', which was extremely accurate - screeching rain squalls, low visibility, and spray washing over the cabin top into the cockpit, inevitably ending up down the back of the neck.
It's Saturday morning, a clear and sunny day as we head north towards Matauri Bay. This is my first time on the Rainbow Warrior. Hey, it's my first time on a boat and I feel very privileged to be here and to be part of an incredible group that is about to commemorate one of the landmark occasions in Greenpeace's history. The bombing of the Rainbow Warrior was like a wakeup call to the world - and the world still remembers. In recent weeks, I have been telling people that I would be sailing on the second Rainbow Warrior as part of the marking of the bombing of the first one. I have not met a single person, of any age, who has not heard of what happened back in 1985. Most people are staggered that twenty years has passed since it happened . ‘Was it really twenty years ago?' they say. It seems like just yesterday. Recalling what happened also helps people renew their resolve to keep on fighting against environmental injustice - in whatever form it takes.
Pete, you were skipper of the Rainbow Warrior when it was attacked in Auckland harbour in 1985. You must have mixed feelings about coming back here to commemorate the it, twenty years later?
Hey, any excuse for a party dude!...Twenty years ago was not a happy time for us. I am enjoying seeing a number of old shipmates who I have not seen in years.
The Rainbow Warrior pulls away from Prince's Wharf, Auckland, accompanied by tug boats, yachts and sailing ships and cheers from the quayside. It's July 8th, two days short of twenty years since its predecessor was sunk at nearby Marsden Wharf as it prepared to sail to Moruroa in protest to French nuclear testing. Fernando Pereira, the photographer on board, died tragically in the incident.
On board are 28 people, amongst them Pete Willcox and Martini Gotje, skipper and 1st mate, respectively, of the original Warrior in 1985. Marelle Pereira - daughter of Fernando, and her partner, Matt.
