The offshore patrol vessel Otago is the second ship of that name to enter service with the Royal New Zealand Navy.
Four thousand people turned out to watch the previous Otago, a 4.5 million modified Whitby class frigate, draw alongside the Victoria oil berth in Dunedin for the first time on January 19, 1961.
And if readers think the new Otago has been talked about a lot, there is little doubt its predecessor's arrival was an ever bigger deal.
The Otago Daily Times reported that traffic on harbourside roads stopped so people could watch the ship's progress up the channel, while a "gaily festooned" launch escorted her up the harbour and other smaller craft cruised around her.
"From the time the sleek man-o'-war came into sight around the Ravensbourne Wharf, an almost awesome hush descended on the crowd," the front-page report on January 20, 1961 read.
The wives of 32 crew members had been brought to Dunedin for the ship's homecoming.
"Fluttering handkerchiefs and scarves were the first signs of recognition between wives and husbands, who in many cases had been separated for more than a year."
The first men ashore were the husbands, who "oblivious to the crowds around them" sought out their wives for "affectionate reunions".
The occasion of the ship's arrival in Dunedin was of such moment ODT photographer Tom Lloyd travelled with the ship on its voyage from England, and reporters from the paper were flown by amphibious plane to the ship as it travelled south of New Zealand to report what life on board was like.
Neil Howard (79), former commanding officer of Dunedin's HMNZS Toroa and curator of the Otago RNZNVR Association Museum, was a junior officer on the wharf the day the first Otago arrived.
He said the visit created a great deal of interest, partly because Otago was the first new ship the New Zealand Navy had bought and Otago people were the first New Zealanders to see it, as it was the practice then for new ships to stop first at their home ports.
Naval activities were widely reported in newspapers at the time, too.
Defence news did not get "much of a look in" now, but in the 1950s and 1960s papers covered every visit by senior naval officers, ships, navy ball or ceremony, he said.
Because the well-equipped new ship was "in a class of her own" in a navy used to taking Britain's cast-offs, a big deal was made of it, Mr Howard said.
The Minister of Defence and the navy's top officials came to Dunedin for the arrival, and rode out on a launch to sail in with the ship.
Representatives from Otago towns turned out to see the ship and to present gifts to the crew.
"There was this idea of a special bond, that they had `adopted' the ship, which was felt quite keenly."
Also, people turned out because there was no television and if they wanted to see something, they had to physically go and see it."
Mr Howard expected people would also want to see the new Otago, which was an entirely different sort of ship, but he would be surprised if such a big crowd turned out to welcome it.
"It's a different world.
I think people are more turned inwards now - they have less of a community focus."
Mosgiel man Les Gillespie (69), who was an AB radar plotter on board the first Otago when it arrived in Dunedin in 1961, hoped people in Dunedin would turn out to inspect the new ship.
He recalled what an unexpected surprise it had been as a crewman to see so many people gathered on the wharf to greet the first HMNZS Otago.
He suspected the main interest in the frigate was that it was a new concept for New Zealand and the nation was proud of that.
"We'd never had a ship like that before.
It was even the first ship that had bunks instead of hammocks."
Mr Gillespie said he was looking forward to a special tour of the new patrol vessel for ex-Otago crew during the ship's five-day visit to Dunedin.
