Navy comes calling

The Anzac frigate HMNZS Te Mana was due to arrive in the Port of Napier about 8am today for a four-day goodwill visit.

While Hawke's Bay has hosted navy ships annually, it has been seven years since HMNZS Te Mana visited.

It will be the second visit to the Bay by a navy ship in three weeks. Last month, the Australian troop and heavy vehicle carrier HMAS Tobruk made a goodwill visit which left the crew delighted, the navy liaison officer for the region, Lieutenant Commander Neville Smith said.

Apart from local hospitality, the ship's company had been "blown away" by the staging of an Art Deco-themed cocktail function aboard. "They went away with very good memories of Hawke's Bay."

HMNZS Te Mana will not be open to the public, and sails at 9am on Monday.