Navy ship popular attraction

The visiting HMNZS Hawea, one of New Zealand Navy's four inshore patrol vessels, is proving popular with locals, including kids.

Currently the line of people waiting to get on board is back to Salisbury Gate.


Ensign Michael Brown, an officer from Fiji with Maddison Clarke, 5. Photos: Tracy Hardy.

The Hawea has been doing navigations training courses around the country recently and arrived in Tauranga to allow locals to have a good look around and see how things operate on a navy ship.

'They can see everything. The only place that's off-limits is the engine room and that's because it has working machinery,” says executive officer Kurt Story, for whom this is the second visit to Tauranga on board the Hawea.

You can go through the bridge, see the weapons that are on display on deck.

'This is a big day for us,” says Kurt. He says the Hawea has been in the New Zealand navy since 2008. 'We stick to New Zealand coastal waters to manage the resource and border protection of the country.”

That means mostly customs and fisheries patrols.

The ship open until 2 pm today (Saturday 23 April).


Georgia Gardiner, 4, and Maddison Clarke, 5, enjoying their tour around the ship.

Roman Steele, 9, with the 50 caliber machine gun.

Riley Castles, 7, trying out the machine gun for size.

Auryn Symonds, 15, with leading seaman combat specialist Chris Wise.

You may also like....

0 comments

Leave a Comment


You must be logged in to make a comment.