final resting place

searcn tor a warrior's final resting place

How, when and why the Rain bow Wanior should find its final resting place continues to pose questions of considerable moment in New Zealand.

For the time being the vessel, stripped of fittings, engines and most of her superstructure, is tied up to the Western Viaduct in Auckland Harbour. In her abandoned state she is now seen as a potential danger to the curious children who love to climb over her.

The New Zealand govern ment has not yet decided whe ther or not a marine inquiry should be held into the bom bing. The Greenpeace or ganisation has indicated its con cern that it is faced with whar fage charges levied by the Auckland Harbour Board.

Prime Minister David Lange has, meanwhile, undertaken to give consideration to providing some form of relief for the ecological pressure group.

The first positive step to see Rainbow Warrior off in style saw large crowds including Hank Nusser, the ship’s mate, and crew members of the flag ship Greenpeace, gather in the park in Dargaville, Northland where the mast of the Rainbow Warrior was erected as a mem orial to the ship.

Mr Snow Knox, who came to fame in New Zealand by giving prominence to the soft drink

Lemon and Raeroa has been the negotiator for the proposal of the Paeroa Historical Mari time Park that the “RW” should be hauled ashore there. This would entail the interesting manoeuvre of hauling the hulk across the Firth of Thames and up Waihau River.

However, Carol Stewart, na tional co-ordinator of Green peace, New Zealand, has stated that the decision has already been made to scuttle the ship at Matauri Bay. Greenpeace does not want to see the restored vessel become a commercial venture.

The organisation has re ceived five or six proposals to restore the ship ashore, but it would prefer to see the money which would be spent on such proposals used to assist the purchase of a new vessel and other Greenpeace projects.

The opinions of New Zealand Maoris also have a bearing on the question of the vessel’s eventual disposal. Dr Bruce Gregory, MP for Northern Maori, has taken an interest in the suggestion that the ship should be returned to Tangaroa (the God of the sea) in order to put to rest the wairua (spirit) of Greenpeace photographer Fer nando Pereira who died in the blast.

Dr Gregory has said that the spirit of the dead man will not rest until his objective and that

of the ship an end to nuclear testing is achieved. •The New Zealand police cal led for an Interpol check when the Australian yacht Onedin arrived in Napier with a French skipper who, it was reported, carried a Swiss passport and had made several calls on the North Island coast without obtaining customs clearance.

The French voyaging canoe Hawaiki Nui became embroiled in a waterfront dispute when the Auckland Waterside Work ers Union, in consultation with the Maori community, met to decide whether to load the canoe so that it could be re turned to Papeete.

There was pressure from some Maoris that the canoe should be kept in Auckland, despite the fact that its construc-

tion funded by the French had meant employment for a Maori carver However, the canoe finally left late last month. Bill Coppell.

Greenpeace photographer, Fer nando Pereira who died in the Rainbow Warrier sinking. His spirit may be put to rest.