What was even rarer was seeing one flying back and forth, up and down the coastline recently.
The aircraft was being used by Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (Linz) earlier this month, to collect Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data along the coast between Brighton and Sandymount on the Otago Peninsula, and between Waitati and Karitane, as part of its 3-D coastal-mapping programme.
LiDAR technology is used to build a 3-D picture of the coast and shallow sea floor below.
Linz 3-D coastal mapping programme project leader Stuart Caie said the plane flew about 500m above the ground and sent pulses of light from a sensor fitted to the fuselage, which measured the distance to the Earth below.
"The plane has been working around the Otago Peninsula and further north, with a couple of flights up to Moeraki.
"The areas haven’t been fully mapped yet, but we aim to have them done over the next few weeks."
The plane was due to begin mapping the Oamaru coastline next month.
A large part of the Otago coastline had had at least one pass so far, but poor weather meant more work was required to complete the mapping.
"The LiDAR technology needs good weather and clear water to collect good data."
"Coastal mapping data is used by scientists and environmental planners to better understand how the country may be impacted, and help keep communities and infrastructure safe, as well as protect ocean biodiversity through improved habitat mapping."
Linz planned to map up to 40% of New Zealand’s coastline over the next three years.
The focus was on populated coastal areas vulnerable to the impact of flooding and sea-level rise, and where key infrastructure such as roads and railways were close to the coast.
The areas would be re-mapped in the future to see if any major changes had occurred.
"We are planning operations out to 2027.
"We are investigating new technologies for mapping the coast that would allow us to re-map an area relatively quickly, once the baseline LiDAR data is established."
Areas planned to be mapped this summer included coastlines in Gisborne, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Manawatu-Whanganui, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington, Westland, Timaru, Oamaru, Dunedin and Southland.
The data would be used to update nautical charts for maritime safety, a core part of Linz’s hydrographic work programme.
He said it would also be publicly available on the Linz Data Service website.
