At 5am, it was still black dark, but everyone seemed fairly cheerful, bleary-eyed as they were. At 6am, we all went down the gangway to the dock, where were joined by all the Greenpeace people who had stayed on land - in the local backpackers hostel, amongst other places. We were also joined by the local Maori elders - to proceeded to replace us, on the deck of the Rainbow Warrior, before launching into a Powhiri - a complex ceremony of welcome. One of the Maori women sang to us, in a beautiful, haunting voice, putting the hairs on the back of my neck A singer on our side countered - which signaled that it was time for our women to go on board, followed by the men.

Once on board, the Maori elders made speeches of welcome - in both Maori and English, each speaker backed up by a chorus of singers, responding with beautiful, lilting songs. Then our speakers did the same - Duncan Gordon, from the Greenpeace International board, Maori elder Patu Hohepa, and Pete Willcox, our skipper, and Xavier Renou, the anti-nuclear campaign from Greenpeace France. And each time, they too were followed by us - we had learned two Maori songs, and were led by Hans (radio operator) on the guitar. We were a little apprehensive about performing the songs - but our hearty renditions elicited squeals of delight from some of the female Maori elders, as they joined in. We must have been doing something right!

As the ceremony reached its conclusion, we filed passed the elders, rubbing noses with the men, and receiving hugs and kisses from the men. All around the ship was a thick fog, with the dim light of dawn barely penetrating.

At 7am we cast off - with nearly 100 people on board, and flanked by the various yachts and smaller boats. The fog was so thick that we were forced to sound the foghorn - and I joined Abri on the 'monkey island' above the bridge, where he was posted as a lookout. I was just lamenting the lack of scenery - as I mentioned in yesterday's postings, the entrance to Whangaroa harbour is spectacular - when suddenly, the sun broke through the fog, and steep cliff faces appeared either side of us.

Suddenly we were out into the open sea, with the bright morning sun beating down on the Rainbow Warrior. Looking back, a thick membrane of cloud enveloped the landscape - ahead lay calm seas, and Matauri Bay, where the first Rainbow Warrior lies.

Ahead and astern of us we could see the sails of our flotilla, and the fast little boat belonging to Malcolm Pullman - photographer on our recent bottom trawling trip. When we arrived in Matauri Bay, Hank called up from the Tiama joking about how they had kindly 'waited' for us, and there was lots of hoots and shouts from one vessel to another.

While we prepared to drop anchor, the Greenpeace New Zealand inflatable Waka Nui with the dive team on board, pulling up the marker buoy for the Warrior's wreck, right beside the Cavalli Islands. We dropped anchor, and the Tiama and Ranui came alongside us, with other yachts making up a beautiful collection of boats.

Pete appeared in his wetsuit, ready to dive on the wreck, while a Maori clergyman blessed the marble sculpture of a dove with an olive branch, made by artist Louise Purvis. Marelle Pereira then gave a moving - actually more than moving - a heartrending speech in remembrance of her father, Fernando, and about the big extended family that is Greenpeace, and the work that we do. As we stood by her, I spotted some movement off towards it was land - it was a flotilla of sea kayaks, coming to join us.

As they arrived, we used one the booms to crane off the sculpture into the water, where the dive team of local Maori Dover Samuels (who lives within view of where we were!), Pete Willcox, and Phil from the Greenpeace New Zealand attached a flotation device to it, before lowering it down the wreck. They vanished below the surface, which was strewn with flowers scattered by the passengers on the Rainbow Warrior.

While the divers were down below, visiting the old Warrior, some if its crew stood on the main deck of the current incarnation, and talked to us all. Steve Sawyer, Martini Gotje and Susi Newborn took the microphone, and told us of their memories. One thing in particular stuck with me - Steve said that as he and the earlier 'warriors' grew older, it was heartening to see the younger generations taking up the mantle. Martini talked about the ongoing struggle in French Polynesia, and Susi told her story of walking onto the first Rainbow Warrior for the first time in London - when it was a derelict trawler in need of rescue. Abacca Anjan-Maddison, Rongelap senator, also spoke - of the plight of her people, and the solidarity of Pacific peoples, while Xavier Renou spoke of the personal conflict of having to represent his country as a Frenchman - but also how so many of his people abhorred the acts of the French government in bombing the Rainbow Warrior, as well as destroying so many lives in Polynesia.

By 11am, some of us were in the Waka Nui, making for the shoreline of Matauri Bay. They day seemed lifetimes long... and it was only 11am.

The adventure continues - stay tuned.

- Dave

The Rainbow Warrior in Matauri Bay.

Before dawn - The Powhiri.

Patu and Pete, with the wheel and binnacle from the first warrior in the foreground.

Blessing the sculpture...