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Mangawhai’s dunes resembled a desert war zone with helicopters and ground crew.
Airlifted shell was dredged from Marsden Point.
Two military helicopters airlifted tonnes of seashell to a protected reserve in Mangawhai earlier this month in a bid to support New Zealand’s most endangered native bird species.
An NZ Air Force NH90 helicopter and a Navy Seasprite helicopter hoisted 50 tonnes of coarse seashell into the dunes at the Mangawhai fairy tern sanctuary in the hope that the New Zealand fairy tern can use the shells to build their nests.
The packages of shell will be arranged across two sites in the sanctuary by members of local iwi, Te Uri o Hau.
Department of Conservation ranger Ayla Wiles says fairy terns, also known as tara iti, are attracted to coarse shell for nesting because it provides them with good camouflage.
Two sites within natural bowls in the dunes have been chosen for building the new habitats where they will be sheltered from the wind and tide.
“Other than predator control, habitat enhancement is the most important action that can be taken to ensure tara iti survival,” Ms Wiles says.
“This is the minimum we could do for such a threatened species.”
There are fewer than 40 fairy terns living between Mangawhai and Pakiri, but thanks to conservation efforts, seven chicks fledged last summer.
A similar operation was conducted at Waipu last year, and one pair of fairy tern successfully laid an egg there.
“When you are talking about such a small number of birds, even one success is a huge step forward,” Ms Wiles says.
Ayla says the reserve at Mangawhai is one of the few protected sand dune habitats for fairy terns, as most have been lost to developments and baches.
Navy public affairs officer Sarah Campbell says the operation was a useful training exercise for the defence force, giving pilots experience in transporting underslung loads attached to the helicopter via cable.
The exercise resembled aid missions in the Pacific Islands where helicopters can operate from HMS Canterbury and are used for airlifting aid packages.
The operation was funded by the Shorebirds Trust and supported by the Tara Iti Golf Club, NZ Defence Force, Ngati Whatua o Kaipara, Te Uri o Hau and Ngati Manuhiri.
Shell was also airlifted to Papakanui Spit on South Head.
