Tauranga Harbour was the scene of a friendly invasion this week, as a squadron of NZ Army combat engineers launched into navigation exercises.

2 Field Squadron based at Linton Camp are on water-based manoeuvres at Tauranga, aboard Zodiac inflatables with 40 horsepower outboard motors.

They've just completed a week of demolition work in Northland, and now have a week in the Bay focussed on navigation, tactical, night missions, reconnaissance, ferrying from land to shore, and dive support.

Some of the exercises are training for relief work in the Pacific, such as the damage recovery missions following last year's Fiji cyclone disaster.