KEY POINTS:
Lieutenant Emma Gibbs could not wipe the smile off her face yesterday, but her baby nephew Kobi was not quite so sure about the fuss going on around him.
The bridge watch keeper met Kobi for just the second time when she and 176 others from the frigate Te Kaha disembarked at Devonport Naval Base after a four-month deployment in Australia and Southeast Asia.
While most of her family were on hand to see her, it was Kobi who caught her eye. "You miss your family heaps. I can't believe how much Kobi has changed. Now he smiles and makes noises just like a little human being, so I missed that transition."
The deployment also marked the last time Te Kaha commanding officer Andy Grant would be at sea.
Commander Grant stepped off the frigate and into the arms of his waiting family, ending a 23-year career spent mostly at sea.
He will remain in the New Zealand Navy but is "posting off" and will now stay ashore.
Commander Grant said he had mixed emotions about the change.
"It's bittersweet really. There have been so many good times and good memories but now it's time to do other things," he said.
While he was away he missed his daughter Ella starting school and youngest daughter Nicolette's third birthday, events which made the homecoming even more special. "It'll be good to spend some more time at home with the kids."
His first night at home was to be spent at Ella's school disco and unpacking Christmas presents.
"That's one good thing about being away ... the ship is pretty well stocked [with presents]."
Commander Grant said the crew had been longing to return home in recent weeks, especially with Christmas approaching.
"It's been building up. The last three days is the worst ... Everyone gets really excited but we try not to get too distracted by it."
Te Kaha visited Port Klang, Okinawa, Kure, Zhanjiang, Saseboa and Shanghai during the deployment, and also completed exercises with the Australian Navy.
The frigate was in Malaysia for independence celebrations and then visited three Japanese ports for warfare manoeuvres. It ended the deployment "chasing submarines" off the Australian coast, Commander Grant said.
