Huntly Man in the Thick of It at RIMPAC

Huntly man Tui Raukawa joined the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) to “get amongst the action” and his wish was amply fulfilled in Hawaii over the past five weeks at Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), the world’s largest international maritime exercise.

RIMPAC involved 26 nations, 45 ships, five submarines, more than 200 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel.

Leading Seaman Combat Specialist (LSCS) Raukawa’s role involved seamanship and gunnery on the RNZN frigate HMNZS Te Kaha.

“The highlight was seeing all the ships involved in formation, meeting the locals, and exploring Hawaii,” he says.

LSCS Raukawa, 26, joined the RNZN in 2008, after leaving Te Awamutu College. Since then he has been deployed to the Persian Gulf, to Australia, and – the highlight of his career so far – to Gallipoli last year, for the 100th anniversary of the ANZAC landing.

But he also loves going home to Huntly.

“I go home quite often to see friends and family - and there are no traffic lights!” he said.

Commander (CDR) Steve Lenik, Commanding Officer of Te Kaha, said it was great for the ship to be part of the contingent representing the New Zealand Defence Force and the RNZN at RIMPAC.

“Such a large exercise was a fantastic opportunity for my ship’s company to train for the broad spectrum of maritime tasks that Te Kaha might be asked to undertake as part of a coalition,” he said.

“This exercise will help Te Kaha contribute to a secure and stable Pacific and the sea lanes connecting it to our global trading partners.”

ENDS

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