The roar of two Air Force helicopters was almost drowned out by the excited screaming of St Joseph's's students when the choppers landed on their school playground last Thursday.
"It's like being in a war zone," the Tararua District Council's resilience manager, Paddy Driver, said as the machines landed.
The Air Force could likely provide a vital resource for Tararua in the event of a civil defence emergency and the flight to Dannevirke allowed Royal New Zealand Air Force staff to brief Tararua District Council's civil defence staff on the capabilities of the machines and what they could provide by way of emergency response.
They also carried out a simulated exercise over the council's sewage ponds.
The two helicopters, the $80 million NH90 and the smaller A109, are part of the Air Force contribution to a 24/7 emergency response team.