Crew of the navy warship Te Mana were reunited with family and friends yesterday for the first time in five months.
A big crowd turned out to welcome the frigate back at its Devonport Naval Base in Auckland from the Arabian Gulf where it had part of the Operation Enduring Freedom, an anti-terrorist deployment linked to Afghanistan.
Te Mana's commanding officer, Commander Blair Gerritsen, said working in the Middle East was challenging.
The crew had to cope with high temperatures and sandstorms and spent long periods in some of the busiest waterways in the world.
