Friendly visit from HMNZS Wellington [1]
Thursday, July 18, 2013 - 20:56. Updated on Monday, September 9, 2013 - 18:40.
The HMNZS Wellington of the New Zealand Navy is in Nuku’alofa on a friendly visit from July 17-24.
Chesna Cocker, the Second Secretary at the New Zealand High Commission office in Nuku’alofa said the offshore patrol vessel was on a friendly routine port call carrying 61 crew members.
She said members of the public were invited onboard for a tour of the vessel on Saturday, July 20. The captain Lt Commander Phil Rowe with Lt Colonel Stuart Brown made a courtesy call to the Tonga Defence Commander Brigadier-General Tau'aika 'Uta'atu today, she said.
Based at the Devonport Naval Base in Auckland, the 85m long vessel patrols the South Pacific and into the Southern Ocean.