Rainbow Warrior arrives in Auckland

Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior sails into Auckland Harbour. The boat will be in port for public open days over the weekend. Photo / Greg Bokwer

New Zealand's most famous ship the Rainbow Warrior has arrived in Auckland today for the first time in over two years.

The Rainbow Warrior sailed into Auckland's Princes Wharf this morning by Peter Wilcox, the skipper at the helm of the original Rainbow Warrior when it was sunk 30 years ago by French secret service agents.

The Rainbow Warrior hasn't been to New Zealand in over two years and to mark its arrival Greenpeace will hold "open boats" this weekend.

The public will be able to board the ship, meet the crew and have a look inside.

Bunny McDiarmid, now the Executive Director of Greenpeace NZ, was a crew member on the Rainbow Warrior in 1985.

"You can't bomb the courage of millions of people," she said.

"People everywhere started wearing badges saying, 'You can't sink a Rainbow' - the campaign for a world free of nuclear weapons just became a whole country stronger."

The Rainbow Warrior is a campaigning vessel for Greenpeace, and will leave Auckland to sail to areas in the Pacific known for illegal and destructive tuna fishing.

Ms McDiarmid said a change in fishing practices must happen before it is too late, and telling people about what is going on out there is an important part of bringing about that change.