June 2011 - HMNZS ROTOITI Update

HMNZS ROTOITI

After an early start to the year in the Marlborough Sounds, ROTOITI underwent a period of maintenance for most of February, which offered time for harbour training and refreshing the crew’s skills. We also enjoyed receiving the MONOWAI Trophy, which we were awarded at Fleet Divisions. This was a great prize to win and gave good recognition to the hard work of ROTOITI’s company during the previous year.

Once out of maintenance we resumed patrols in support of the Ministry of Fisheries, mainly covering the North Island, with a respite in New Plymouth along the way. That patrol gave our crew an opportunity to gain valuable experience with other agencies and put their training into action. Back in the Hauraki Gulf we then spent a week assisting the Minor War Vessel Command Course assessments. This was both exciting and entertaining for our ship’s company and involved us exercising with aircraft, conducting gunnery and carrying out a lot of damage control and man overboard exercises.

ROTOITI then moved on to other patrol tasks, with our company keeping efficient through drills and exercises despite extremely trying weather conditions. We handed over to TAUPO for a visit to Tauranga, which allowed us to enjoy a few days of beautiful weather and some entertainment ashore and relaxation. Much of April featured poor weather while we were on patrol, but when at anchor our sailors made the most of it by jumping in for a dive or bringing out the fishing rods!

We returned to Auckland for a short maintenance period in May, before we resumed our pattern of patrols along the North Island west coast.