'Otago' makes you feel right at home

There is a familiarity about HMNZS Otago that might make even the most resolute landlubber feel at home.

The offshore patrol vessel is berthed in Dunedin, with which it shares the placenames such the Octagon, Baldwin St, Queens Gardens and Castle St.

True to its namesake and home port, Otago proudly makes a feature of some of the city's most popular places, albeit slightly adapted.

Baldwin St is steep, but takes the form of a stepladder between decks.

The Octagon is where crew members gather to eat, the Queens Gardens provides room to relax, and typically younger trainee sailors find themselves bunking just off Castle St.

Otago has a core crew of 36 and about 80 bunks in total.

The captain, Lieutenant-commander Rob McCaw, said it often accommodated trainees, due to the extra space. The crew, from throughout New Zealand, included three leading seamen from the wider Otago area, he said.

Lt-cmdr McCaw (32) joined Otago as its captain last September, after a year as captain of its sister ship, HMNZS Wellington.

Asked if he was related to New Zealand's favourite rugby player, Lt-cmdr McCaw was vague.

''Mate, we're all related,'' he said.

''There is a lot of family down these ways. A few years back, for a family reunion, we had about 30 McCaws biking the Otago Central Rail Trail, which was carnage but awesome. I call Devonport home, as this is my 15th year in the navy.''

Lt-cmdr McCaw said he enjoyed life at sea with the crew, which he said was a ''good mix''.

Able Steward Specialist Bonnie Allott (22), of Invercargill, was the only vegan on board.

''I'm also the only vegetarian I know of in the navy,'' she said.

Although her food choice set her apart, it was not a problem, she said.

''Sometimes, the chefs make me something special. I love vegetables; anything like vegetable stir-fry is good,'' she said.

Others tucked into ''simple food, cooked well'', the four Otago chefs said.

Cooked breakfasts, complete with eggs, sausages, baked beans and spaghetti, were served as well as cereal, yoghurt, fruit and toast.

Chicken, steak, wedges and cooked vegetables were popular, as was anything chocolate for dessert.

Although there were fewer women than men on board, the only difference between crew members was rank, ABSS Allott said.

Able Marine Technician Nicole Van de Pas enjoyed plying her trade as part of the Otago crew, except when sailors took tools out of the technician's room and failed to replace them.

Asked how long was too long at sea, she said three weeks.

Most trips on Otago between ports lasted two weeks, she said.

For Sub-lieutenant Simon Shirer, the navy provided a perfect balance between life at sea and on land.

While vessels underwent maintenance in the dry dock, he revelled in the stability of office work and being able to lounge on the couch at home - a luxury after the relatively tight quarters aboard ship.

A few months on land made him hungry for adventures at sea, and when the ship left port, he relished the camaraderie of the crew, he said.

Otago recently took MetService scientists and Department of Conservation (Doc) workers to Campbell Island and the Auckland Islands in the sub-Antarctic, then made a second trip with Doc workers from Bluff to the Bounty Islands and Antipodes Islands before berthing in Dunedin.

Doc integration co-ordinator Stewart Genery said the vessel and its crew had surpassed all his expectations.

''We don't want to leave; it's been amazing. The crew are superb. Nothing has been too much of a hassle,'' he said.

Tucking into his last dinner in the mess, Mr Genery said the food was ''great'' and that he hoped to make a second journey with the navy one day.

Those keen for a closer look at Otago can do so when it is open to the public this afternoon from 12.30pm to 4.30pm at the Birch St wharf.

- rosie.manins@odt.co.nz