NZDF’s Ex Tropic Twilight concludes on remote Penrhyn

After nearly six weeks working alongside Penrhyn locals, around 50 New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel have delivered infrastructure, health, hydrographic support and friendship to one of the most remote communities in the Cook Islands.

13 October, 2026

Penrhyn, or Tongareva, is nearly 1,400km north of Rarotonga.

The NZDF’s Exercise Tropic Twilight ran from early September to mid-October and involved personnel from 25 Engineer Support Squadron, 2 Engineer Regiment, nine medical and dental personnel and eight Royal New Zealand Navy hydrography personnel. Vanuatu Mobile Force and Les Forces armées en Polynésie française personnel also took part.

NZDF Youth Development Unit personnel also supported a Blue Light youth development programme in Aitutaki.

Tropic Twilight is an annual NZDF-led, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT)-supported series of South Pacific Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief activities. The location and tasks are mutually agreed between the NZDF and MFAT, which provides project funding.

A man uses a torch to look underneath a vehicle

A New Zealand Army vehicle mechanic works on a tractor engine in Te Tautua Village

Detachment Commander, Major Cam Gurney, said the exercise aimed to strengthen the partnership between New Zealand and the Cook Islands and contribute to Pacific resilience.

“Whether working alongside the community or supporting local schools, we had the opportunity to represent New Zealand and the NZDF in a positive way.

“Looking at the friendships that have been formed and the work that we have achieved together, I believe we have succeeded.”

NZ Army engineers completed projects including construction of a laundry at the Omoka Cyclone Centre, a new shelter and water infrastructure at Omoka School, repairs to school stairs and decking, upgrades to toilet block fixtures and fittings, and the fit-out of a new life-skills classroom.

Five solar stills were installed; electrical work was completed at Te Tautua School and water tanks used to increase water collection capacity at community buildings. Four soldiers in orange high vis shirts life a solar panel onto a frame in front of a palm tree

Engineers from 25 Engineer Support Squadron construct a solar still at Te Tautua Village

NZDF health personnel worked alongside local providers and almost 60 dental patients received treatment during 17 days of clinics. They also provided checks, medication reviews and follow-ups for residents with ongoing health conditions.

Navy hydrographers surveyed Penrhyn’s navigational approaches, lagoon transit routes and other significant areas, using sonar to build a clearer picture of the seafloor and previously uncharted hazards. The information will be provided to the Cook Islands Government.

Major Gurney said the relationships developed were just as important as the physical work.

Personnel had been welcomed into Penrhyn’s homes, churches, workplaces and community life. The level of hospitality stood out across his operational and exercise experience, he said.

Two people sit on a bench. One is wearing a red and black Army t-shirt, talking to children and holding a model of teeth.

Dental staff deliver a dental health lesson at Omoka School

Penrhyn Mayor Rangi Taia said the community was grateful for both the work completed and the way personnel had become part of life on Penrhyn.

“From the bottom of the hearts of the people of Tongareva, thank you very much for the good job, the kindness and the love you have given to my people,” he said.

Major Gurney acknowledged the contribution locals had made to completing the work, both on the project sites and behind the scenes. Tongarevans had impressed him with their adaptability and hospitality, despite the challenges of such a remote environment.

“We arrived as guests, but we leave as trusted partners and friends, and that is a legacy that will endure long after the exercise has ended.”

The scale of the work required significant preplanning. Construction freight travelled by barge, while specialist tools, personnel and priority equipment were flown in by the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

Logisticians planned for and delivered around 20,000 litres of drinking water, 2,000 ration packs, 10,000 litres of diesel and about 160 cubic metres of freight, as well as thousands of construction items.

After the exercise, tools and construction materials were donated to Penrhyn for further community projects. Surplus ration packs and drinking water were also donated.

Three people in a small boat at sea conduct surveying with equipment attached to the side of the boat. In the background is a small tropical island.

October 19, 2026

Vanuatu Mobile Force lance corporal brings more than carpentry skills to Cook Islands exercise

Vanuatu Mobile Force (VMF) carpenter Lance Corporal Nick Kaltoua has been working alongside New Zealand Army engineers in the remote northern Cook Islands, where his knowledge of the Tahitian language has proved just as valuable as his carpentry skills.

13 October, 2026

He is part of a larger New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) team improving infrastructure and health services across the island of Penrhyn, nearly 1400kms north of Rarotonga, during Exercise Tropic Twilight.

Running annually since 1999, the NZDF Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief exercise in the South-West Pacific, is supported by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

From Ifira Village in Vanuatu, Lance Corporal Kaltoua has been getting stuck into the tasks including building a new life-skills classroom at Omoka School, one of only two schools on the island, and constructing bases for a number of water tanks.

In such an isolated location, where supplies may be a six-month barge trip away, if the team find something that isn’t up to standard where they can, they fix it. Materials cannot simply be replaced at short notice, so planning for a worst-case scenario was needed, and additional materials are added as a contingency.

Lance Corporal Kaltoua’s performance over the first half of the year helped earn his selection for Tropic Twilight.

“I was so happy. I was never expecting this.”

Earlier this year, Lance Corporal Kaltoua worked alongside NZDF tradespeople in Vanuatu, which he said helped him feel at ease when he found out he would be joining familiar faces on this exercise.

Lance Corporal Nick Kaltoua, Vanuatu Mobile Force (VMF) Engineering Squadron, deployed as part of the NZDF team working on construction tasks on Penrhyn

A highlight of Penrhyn had been getting to know the local community after work – heading out fishing, looking for crayfish on the reef at night, and spending time with local families.

The work the contingent has done throughout this year’s exercise will have lasting impacts across the wider Penrhyn population.

More than 50 personnel were deployed, including NZ Army engineers, electricians, medical and dental personnel, and Royal New Zealand Navy hydrography personnel.

They worked on new school facilities as well as maintenance, constructed new water tank and solar still installations to improve water and power supply, provided medical and dental services, and hydrographic surveying for better information about the lagoon and navigational approaches.

Working together regularly helps strengthen relationships between Pacific partners, and Lance Corporal Kaltoua has enjoyed spending the past few weeks working alongside NZDF personnel again.

“Being around them, it’s like we’re just the same.”

Detachment Commander, Major Cam Gurney, said Lance Corporal Kaltoua had been an outstanding member of the contingent, integrating seamlessly into the team.

“His experience and perspective brought significant value to our work in Penrhyn, particularly in the remote environment where adaptability and practical problem-solving were essential.

“His ability to speak Tahitian played an important role in strengthening relationships across the exercise and helped improve collaboration and foster stronger connections between all participants.

“The inclusion of personnel such as Lance Corporal Kaltoua highlights the value of working alongside our Pacific partners.

“These opportunities build trust, improve interoperability, and create enduring professional relationships that strengthen our collective ability to respond to future challenges across the Pacific.”

October 13, 2026

USS Maine was a United States Navy ship that sank in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, contributing to the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April.

USS_Maine_(ACR-1)_starboard_bow_view,_1898_(26510673494)

U.S. newspapers claimed that the Spanish were responsible for the ship’s destruction, while evidence points to an accident caused by an internal coal bunker fire. The phrase “Remember the Maine! To hell with Spain!” became a rallying cry for action. The Maine explosion served as a catalyst which accelerated the events leading up to the war.

Maine is described as an armored cruiser or second-class battleship, depending on the source, ordered in 1886. She was the first U.S. Navy ship to be named after the state of Maine.^[a]^[1]^[2] Maine and its contemporary the battleship Texas were both represented as an advance in American warship design, reflecting the latest European naval developments. Both ships had two-gun turrets staggered en échelon, and full sailing masts were omitted due to the increased reliability of steam engines.^[3] Maine and Texas were obsolete by the time of completion due to a protracted nine-year construction period.^[3] Far more advanced vessels were in service or nearing completion that year.

Maine was sent to Havana Harbor to protect U.S. interests during the Cuban War of Independence. She exploded and sank on the evening of February 15, 1898, killing 268 sailors, which was three-quarters of her crew. In 1898, a U.S. Navy board of inquiry ruled that the ship had been sunk by an external explosion from a mine. However, some U.S. Navy officers disagreed with the board, suggesting that the ship’s magazines had been ignited by a spontaneous fire in a coal bunker. The coal used in Maine was bituminous, which is known for releasing firedamp, a mixture of gases composed primarily of flammable methane that is prone to spontaneous explosions. An investigation by Admiral Hyman Rickover in 1974 agreed with the coal fire hypothesis, presented in a 1976 monograph that argued for this conclusion. The cause of her sinking remains a subject of debate.^[4]

The ship lay at the bottom of the harbor until 1911, when it was patched and refloated within a cofferdam.^[5] The hull was then towed to sea and sunk. Maine now lies on the seabed 3,600 feet (1,100 m) below the surface. The ship’s main mast is now a memorial in Arlington National Cemetery.

October 11, 2026

USS Iowa and HMS Coventry.

October 11, 2026

The ships are the HMNZS Canterbury (F421), HMNZS Southland (F104)— formerly HMS Dido, HMNZS Endeavour (A11), HMNZS Waikato (F55), and HMNZS Wellington (F69)— formerly HMS Bacchante. (More info below)

The four frigates are Leander-class vessels, which proved the backbone of the RN and Commonwealth fleets in the Cold War. Waikato and Canterbury were purpose-built Batch 3 Leanders to replace WWII-era NZ ships such as the old light cruiser Royalist. Notably, these two Kiwi frigates relieved British ships of the Persian Gulf Armilla Patrol during the 1982 Falklands conflict, freeing British ships for deployment.

This latter fact led to the RN transferring HMS Dido and HMS Bacchante to New Zealand in 1983 as payback.

All four of these frigates were retired post-Cold War, replaced two-for-one by a pair of more modern ANZAC-class ships of a modified German MEKO 200 design (although they had been offered two FFG-7s shorthulls of 15–17 years age for a song.) The two Australian-built frigates arrived between 1997-99 and the New Zealand navy has stuck to a two-frigate force since then.

Ex- HMNZS Wellington (F69) prior to sinking as an artificial reef, Nov 2005

*HMS Dido/HMNZS Southland was decommissioned 1995 and scrapped at Goa.
*HMNZS Waikato was decommissioned in 1998 and sunk as an artificial reef off the coast of Tutukaka.
*HMS Bacchante/HMNZS Wellington was decommissioned 1999 and sunk in Wellington Harbour as a reef in 2005.
*HMNZS Canterbury decommissioned 2005 and was herself reefed in 2007.

The 12,300-ton Endeavour, a commercial design from South Korea commissioned 8 April 1988, is still active and is a common sight during RIMPAC exercises. She deployed to East Timor as part of the Australian-led INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce twice. Now deleted from RNZN

October 11, 2026

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NZDF’s Ex Tropic Twilight concludes on remote Penrhyn

13 October, 2026

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Vanuatu Mobile Force lance corporal brings more than carpentry skills to Cook Islands exercise

13 October, 2026

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USS Maine was a United States Navy ship that sank in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, contributing to the outbreak of the Spanish–American War in April.

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USS Iowa and HMS Coventry.

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The ships are the HMNZS Canterbury (F421), HMNZS Southland (F104)— formerly HMS Dido, HMNZS Endeavour (A11), HMNZS Waikato (F55), and HMNZS Wellington (F69)— formerly HMS Bacchante. (More info below)

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