How is this for a job?

On Wednesday I flew to Gisborne with Glenda Lewis, Di McCarthy and Lydia Wevers, and we then drove to Tolaga Bay as part of the preparations for the Transit of Venus project in June 2012. It was a chance to connect again with the local Te Aitanga-a Hauiti people of Tolaga Bay (see blog Thursday March 17, 2011). I joined local Tolaga Bay Area school children in planting native shrubs at the Uawa river mouth

In the afternoon we boarded the East Cape Coast Guard boat "Paratene Ngata", named after much loved local Dr Pat Ngata who died of cancer in 2009. Also on board was Runanga CEO Victor Walker, an inspirational local leader. The picture shows Victor and me with Motu o Rae rocks in the background. We are at almost the exact spot where James Cook moored Endeavour in October 1769.

On the next day we met with Gisborne community leaders, following which I flew to Auckland for an appointment with the Royal New Zealand Navy.

I was met by two Midshipmen (cadet officers) who drove me to the Devonport Naval Base, where I was to be after dinner speaker at a gathering of 70 naval officers including the Chief of Navy, Rear-Admiral Tony Parr. My talk seemed to be well-received and I was plied with great hospitality in the mess afterwards. After sleeping in the "VIP Cabin" I had breakfast with Tony and other senior officers. The picture shows me with Tony to my left and Devonport Naval Base CO Captain Corina Bruce to my right. To Tony's left is Captain Jim Gilmour who has just completed a tour as commander of an international anti-piracy naval task force off the Somali Coast. The conversation over breakfast was far removed from Trinity High Table! It certainly was not boring.

The most extraordinary aspect of my visit was the experience of being saluted, first by the Executive Officer, after my morning tour of the Naval Base, and then, at the airport, by the young Midshipman who kindly drove me there, in the Admiral's car. This was respect unearned, to say the least.

PS: The naval rank of Captain is equivalent to Colonel in the Army or Group Captain in the Airforce, Commodore, the rank held by the Deputy Chief of Navy, being equivalent to Brigadier and Air Commodore respectively. An unfamiliar element of dinner conservation for me for me was the way these highly experienced senior officers would always drop in the occasional "Sir" when conversing with the Admiral.