One of the bigger players in a major military exercise centred around the South Island is set to make an appearance in Hawke's Bay on Wednesday for a two-day visit.
It is the 16,900-tonne HMAS Choules, a Bay Class landing and logistics ship which has been in service with the Australian Navy since 2011 and is an integral part of Exercise Southern Katipo which is New Zealand's largest military exercise staged every two years in varying parts of the country.
This year's exercise, which is set to kick off later this week and will run through to mid-November, is based around the Marlborough, Tasman, Kaikoura, Nelson and Buller regions.
The Royal New Zealand Navy and Air Force will be joined by their Australian counterparts, and soldiers from Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Tonga will be taking part, along with contingents from Canada, US, France and Great Britain .
"It's great that it is coming here for a couple of days," Hawke's Bay Regional Naval Officer Lieutenant Commander Neville Smith said.