HMNZS Monowai (A06)

HMNZS Monowai (A06) was a hydrographic survey vessel of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) from when she was commissioned in 1977 until 1997.

Construction and acquisition
The ship was laid down by Grangemouth Dockyard in Scotland in 1960, and spent the first part of her operational life as the New Zealand Government Island supply/passenger vessel GMV Moana Roa.

She was acquired in 1975 and converted over a two-year period to replace her predecessor, HMNZS Lachlan. Monowai was the second of two ships with this name to serve in the RNZN. She was named after the glacial lake Monowai. Monowai is a Māori word meaning "channel full of water".

Operational history
During her naval service she was known as the "ghost of the coast", as she quietly remapped most of the New Zealand coastline including the Chatham, Cambell, and Auckland Islands, as well as the many sub-Antarctic islands in New Zealand's responsibility. She also acted as a resupply vessel to Campbell and other sub-Antarctic islands, served as an "official residence" for VIPs and dignitaries at Pacific Island conferences, monitored Chinese missile splashdown tests, stood by Fiji after military coups with a platoon of naval gunners to assist in possible NZ civilian evacuations, participated in the ANZCAN cable route survey and in international searches for sea mounts and shoals. She carried a helicopter and undertook rescue or aid missions, saving the lives of eight people during the New Zealand to Tonga Yacht Regatta.

Decommissioning and fate
Monowai was replaced in 1997 by HMNZS Resolution, formerly USNS Tenacious. She was sold to British buyers, Hebridean Island Cruises, for conversion into a Cruise Ship in 1998. She was laid up at Lowestoft in England after being found unsuitable for her intended use until 2002 when she was finally sent to Spanish shipbreakers.