With road access to Kaikoura still largely cut off, getting emergency supplies and personnel into the town via air has been vital.
The Air Force has been making trips back and forth along the broken coastline for days.
"My impressions of the damage that we've been seeing is that it's quite horrendous," says Flight Lieutenant James MacKenzie.
"There are huge slips, large rock falls and significant damage to houses. There's also large fault lines you can see throughout the landscape."
The Air Force's NH90s are specially designed to lug heavy loads; one carried power poles to reconnect the hundreds still in the dark.
The power of the NH90 is quite remarkable, and it plays a critical role in responding to disasters like this. It can carry a load of up to four tonnes and up to 20 passengers.
"Anything that is big and bulky that needs to get somewhere - water pumps and generators - we are putting them inside and taking them in," says Sergeant Neil Chappell.
It's not just getting aid to isolated locations; it's also about getting manpower to the places most in need.
"The need is quite great in my opinion. They've been cut off - no power, water or sewerage - so the need for this airborne support is definitely great," says Sgt Chappell.
The NH90s landed in Christchurch on Sunday to pick up a team of Urban Search and Rescue specialists, who will be assessing damaged homes and buildings in Kaikoura. It's an extra nine passengers and all their gear.
The USAR team would ordinarily have to make multiple trips by air to transfer such a load, which totals at 1500kg.
With roads still treacherous, travelling this way has become essential to get the job done.
On an average day, the NH90s spend six to eight hours in the air. Their teams, along with the 500 other personnel from the Defence Force, are expected to remain in town for some weeks yet.
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