2005 – Aratere Dry Docking in Australia and Pacific Link in Fiji
This is where my sea career really took and upward lead. I made the transition from a small medical ship which works around the Fijian Island to now big foreign going ships. I will write about the Pacific Link in a separate note.
It was a fare bit scary at first, the transition but after 3 weeks on the Arahura (rail ferry) I was transferred to the other rail ferry the Aratere and sent to Australia for 9 weeks, why though - for a dry dock. The most interesting dry dock I have ever experienced. I was involved with many jobs and tasks that took me from the bottom of the double bottom ballast tanks, to the shaft space, heeling tanks, lifeboats and davits, bridge electrical room and then to the top of the mast on the monkey island – What an adventure to remember… voyaging from New Zealand to Australia and back was also a highlight for me. Seeing dolphins around the coastlands and whales in the middle of the Pacific Ocean was just amazing!