Pilot on board with dream job
An integral piece of a Royal New Zealand Navy mission to the Auckland Islands is an air force pilot from Invercargill. Cameron Day will be at the controls of a Seasprite helicopter as it delivers supplies to the Auckland Islands this month. But Day won’t be flying the 480 kilometres from Bluff. He will be travelling on the HMNZS Canterbury, which leaves on Monday. The ship is 131 metres long and will transport 170 crew members and government scientists to the Auckland Islands. Working with the Department of Conservation (DOC) and MetService, the ship is a hive of activity as the crew prepare to sail south. Canterbury commander Martin Walker said the Auckland Islands were a Unesco World Heritage site, and protecting them was part of protecting New Zealand. He pointed out the key role the islands play in weather forecasting, which adds to the safety of all mariners. Day is the only pilot on board. He grew up in Invercargill before moving to Alexandra at age 12. Flying around the windy Auckland Islands was quite difficult, but he looked forward to the varied work he gets to do, including the likes of peacekeeping missions. Day and the Seasprite will help DOC to survey bird and seal populations. Day said he was doing his dream job, and knew he wanted to fly after his first helicopter ride at age 10.
Commander Walker said the conditions would be tough, with little shelter. Being on the ship, in the literal high seas, made everything harder to do, he said, and working was a burden as the human body constantly fights to stay upright.