Poroporoaki ki te hoa tawhito me te kaipuke rongonui o te ahumahi moana Aotearoa a. Hopea'tu koe hau ataahua, me te whai i moana, "Westport", hoia o te record 1104 toronga ki te Port o Onehunga mai 27 Maehe 1976. Click on the pic for something special ...	Farewell to an old friend and a legendary ship of New Zealand's maritime industry. Bidding you fair winds and following seas, "Westport", veteran of a record 1104 calls to the Port of Onehunga since 27 March 1976. She was sold to SMT Shipping on 7 September and renamed "Fjordvik", sailing from Onehunga at 1100 hours a fortnight later for New Plymouth, where an in-water survey was undertaken at first light on 22 September. At 1348 hours that day, she left New Zealand's shores behind forever, bound for Papeete, Panama, Gdansk for drydocking and, ultimately, Norway, where she'll ply her trade as a cement carrier once more. Aerial shot of "Westport" taken by Tim Morrison in August & sourced from Friends of the Manukau Harbour
Loading the gangplank for the final time	The very last "Westport Turn"
Casting off, part one	"Tika"'s exit stage right
Casting off, part two	Beginning the longest journey
I witnessed a quite remarkable event in the final minutes of "Westport"'s career at Onehunga. It was just after 10.50am, and the stevedores were in place wharfside, likewise the crew at their respective stations, ready to cast off the lines. There had been seagulls aplenty in the area, and a host of them suddenly converged upon the stern line, where they perched for the best part of ninety seconds before dispersing. It was almost as if they knew what was happening, and this was their way of saying goodbye ... The picture opposite was taken at 10.52am, and when I examined it afterwards, the bird count was rather fitting - a 21 gull salute!