The big day, after a 7 year building process, Tiama is Launched at Orama’s Marina in Auckland, about 150 well wishers were present, including my mother who spoke some nice words and broke a bottle of bubbly over the bow, may she sail safely and happily,
We have had the busiest Souther summer season to date, working with 2 BBC film crews in the sub-Antarctic to film the mating ritual of the Bullers Albatross when the couple first meet after not seeing each other for a year at sea plus the extreme sight and noise of thousands of small Sooty Sheer…
More good work in the NZ Sub Antarctic including follow up work with 2 dogs the check up on the rateradication and re-introduction of the Teal on Campbell island, the dogs did not mind the sea travel to much as long as they had somebody to play with, and made themselves at home onboard, this…
Tiama Sailed from NZ to Papua New Guinea and worked there for 3 months on the Fly and Bamu river, working for the Greenpeace forest campaign on invitation of the local land owners to try stop illegal logging operations on there Tribal lands by Malaysian logging companies. We sailed 1200 miles on the rivers penetrating deep into the remaining PNG rainforest.
September Tiama participated in another Peace flotilla against MOX Plutonium fuel transports true the Pacific and in the Irish sea. spending the last month in the Fiji islands.
February 1999 – 5 week charter from Ushuaia to the Antarctic Peninsula, acting as a logistics support vessel for the Young Australian Antarctic Expedition during their successful attempt to climb Pilchner Peak in the Antarctic Peninsula.
Tiama spend the southern summer working amongst the New Zealand sub Antarctic islands as support vessel for kayaking and photographic expeditions.