Greenpeace climate campaigner Kate Simcock has been sailing on the 58m motor-assisted yacht since it left Auckland last month.
The vessel has been touring the country to celebrate the Government's off-shore drilling ban and promote clean energy.
It will have an open day for the public on Sunday, an event Ms Simcock said had been well received as the vessel had journeyed south.
About 1600 people had visited in Lyttelton and a similar number in other ports.
''It's been amazing actually.
''People love it when the Rainbow Warrior comes to town, because of its history, I guess, and the original Rainbow Warrior.''
That vessel was bombed in Auckland in 1985 by the French secret service.
After the vessel left Dunedin it would head for Stewart Island, as it was looking at the activities of Austrian oil company OMV, which had requested an extension to its upcoming drill commitment in the Great South Basin.
The company wants another two years to look for oil in an area southeast of Dunedin.
Rainbow Warrior crew would document wildlife and talk to the local tourism operators and fishermen on Stewart Island.
After that, it would head to Australia.
The vessel had a permanent crew of about 15, and a campaign team of about 15 from each country it visited sailed with it.
Ms Simcock was in the latter group, and would leave the ship when it left New Zealand.
She said the vessel was staying at anchor for crew training before it headed into Dunedin.
That was ''high level'' training for the climbers and boat teams used for Greenpeace actions.
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Awesome to see the Rainbow Warrior, and going onboard, realising how brave and committed the crew are to protecting our oceans in that small boat from corrupt greed and rapacious destruction.
Someone in comments to an odt article mentioned they are flying a French flag. It's a Dutch flag - -- similar looking.