Kia ora! HMS Spey crew treated to haka on ship's first visit to New Zealand
Royal Navy sailors on HMS Spey have been treated to a haka on the ship's first visit to New Zealand.
Members of the Royal New Zealand Navy performed the traditional Māori war dance for the UK crew as they arrived at Devonport Naval Base on Auckland's North Shore.
The Batch 2 River-class offshore patrol vessel is currently deployed in the Indo-Pacific.
HMS Spey's official Twitter account shared pictures of the vessel coming alongside in Auckland, with the caption of "Kia ora!" - a Māori-language greeting.
The ship thanked the Royal New Zealand Navy for the "fantastic welcome".
HMS Spey will also visit Wellington before returning to the Indo-Pacific, the Royal NZ Navy said.
Alongside her sister ship HMS Tamar, HMS Spey is deployed for five years as part of the Royal Navy and UK's commitment to the Pacific region.
Last month, HMS Spey carried supplies to the people of Tanna in Vanuatu after the island was devastated by two tropical cyclones.
The offshore patrol ship's crew helped the inhabitants of the remote Pacific Island restore regular water supplies, also bringing three 10-tonne water tanks, other aid and equipment.
Said to be one of the greenest ships in the fleet, HMS Spey has worked with regional partners to carry out environmental and hydrographic surveys as well as water sampling to aid studies on climate change.
Spey's recent work in support of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) has seen the ship contribute to the fight against illegal, unregulated and unreported fisheries activity.
Join Our Newsletter
