Departing Auckland - 20 Years On

Marelle Pereira with the Rainbow Warrior's accompanying flotilla, Auckland Harbour.<br /> © Greenpeace/Walsh

Marelle Pereira with the Rainbow Warrior's accompanying flotilla, Auckland Harbour. © Greenpeace/Walsh

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.

Also on board we have Abacca Anjan-Maddison, a senator from Rongelap in the Marshall Islands. Rongelap was the Rainbow Warrior's last mission before it was sunk in 1985 - the entire population had been evacuated by the ship's crew, after deciding to forsake their home - which was riddled with radioactive contamination from American nuclear bomb testing.

Rainbow-8-7-05.jpg
The Rainbow Warrior sails out of Waitamata Harbour in Auckland © Greenpeace / Michael Amendolia

We're heading north, towards Matauri Bay in New Zealand's Far North, where the first Rainbow Warrior lies - 25m below the ocean's surface, and bejewelled with sea life. Maori elder, Patu Hohepa, is with us, guiding us towards into his tribal area.

We also have some our organisations's stalwarts - Carol Stewart, former executive director of Greenpeace NZ, and two current board members of Greenpeace International, Anne Summers and Gordon Duncan. Gil Hanley, a photographer with years of experience in photographing the anti-nuclear campaigns is with us - hopeful we'll get to show you some of her photos!

I'll introduce more of the ship's crew over the next day or two - some faces you'll recognise from the recent bottom trawling campaign - while others are new additions.

With our sails out, we leave Auckland behind, passing out through Waitemata Harbour and past the dormant volcano of Rangitoto Island, we are accompanied by two tugs from the Ports of Auckland, and several sailing ships, including and a beautiful brigantine from Auckland's Maritime Museum, the Breeze. After the bombing in 1985, Ralph Sewell's Breeze led the ensuing peace and anti-nuclear flotilla to Moruroa. Also with us is the Tiama, owned by two other Rainbow Warrior crew members from 1985 - Bunny McDiarmid and Henk Haazen. On board is Steve Sawyer, the Rainbow Warrior's anti-nuclear campaigner in 1985, and currently head of Greenpace International's science and political unit on climate change.

A glance out the porthole - there's silver sunshine beating down on a flat calm sea, from a tangle of clouds. The weather in Auckland has been rather wet and windy in recent days, so this new weather is some solace to our guests.

- Dave

Comments

Posted by: jock , August 20, 2005 1:30 AM

Need the maori words to the intro of the anchor me song..been on the warrior in Sydney,@ Balmain ,remember the aussie engineer,think he was swedish?
Currently employed at sydney ferries pushing a 1200 ton boat-Manly Ferry Queenscliff.
Need those words Guys.
Good luck,good on ya

Posted by: Christopher Ure , July 8, 2005 11:51 PM

Yes I remember the shocking attack by the French on an innocent ship in a foreign harbour. I also remember the arrest of the French agents male and female that committed that attack. But what sticks out in my mind more than anything was the sentence that they got. Sent to a paradise island no doubt enjoying comforts that would make Shapelle Corby green with envy. That is why I will not buy anything French, not only that but after the arrogance (and we think the Germans are arrogant) they did their nuclear testing in our backyards with the same arrogance that is typical of the French In 1972 I went to France, enjoyed the company of the rural French, obviously not their politicians. My brother travelled the world in the late 60s, loved the Kabutz, hated the arabs, he is now a American citizen who hates Bush, but likewise hates the Moslems. I wonder "Where will it end?" My father travelled the world was in Germany in 1939. He said "As long as there are two human beings on the face of this earth there will be war" I hope he is wrong but I know that he is right. I hate the Japanesse, North Americans and Norweigans for hunting whales, but then again that word "Hate" appears. Hate leads to wars, understanding leads to peace and preservation of our planet leads to a future for our children and our children's children.Personally I don't give a damn about the slaughter of people. WHAT I CARE ABOUT IS THE SLAUGHTER/KILLING/AGONISING KILLING OF THE CREATURES OF THIS EARTH FOR CONSUMPTION OR CLOTHING. FUCK THE PEOPLE IT IS THE ANIMALS I CARE ABOUT.

 

 

 

 
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