From Flight Paths to Forests – Surveying Stories from the Field
From coordinating drone flights near busy runways to navigating remote hill country with no mobile coverage, the TSC team started winter tackling some of the most varied and interesting surveying jobs across New Zealand. Our work continues to reflect the range, skill, and problem-solving spirit that defines our approach to land surveying and drone services.
Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been up to this quarter.
Flying High Over the Expressway
Working in controlled airspace is no small feat. Our UAV team recently completed a precision drone survey for Stage 2 of the Hawke’s Bay Expressway project, with part of the site located right next to Napier Airport and directly under an aircraft approach path.
The job required detailed coordination with the control tower. We had a dedicated two-person crew on site, operating with live flight radios and regular check-ins with air traffic control. For an added layer of safety, our drone was even fitted with a parachute system.
Despite the challenges, the aerial mapping was completed in just one weekend with no road closures and no disruption to traffic. It was a showcase of how drone surveying in restricted airspace can be done safely, efficiently, and without compromise.
Off the Grid in Gisborne: Navigating Remote Rural Subdivisions
Gavin’s winter adventure took him deep into the hills behind Gisborne, where he worked solo on two back-to-back rural subdivision projects. The first site was tucked at the end of a long gravel road which was so remote that towing in the side-by-side was the only way to access the land.
After pegging out a new forestry block, Gavin pushed further north to a second site which took him another 2.5 hours up an even rougher track, without mobile reception and barely any historic survey marks to help him define the boundary. Armed with his gear and know-how, he completed both jobs alone. It was a classic case of the TSC spirit: determined, capable, and unshaken by isolation.
Massive LiDAR File Turned into Sleek 3D Model
Back in the office, Paul was solving a different kind of challenge: this time digital. Tasked with managing a 70-gigabyte LiDAR scan, he used Rhino 8 and Grasshopper to compress the data into a streamlined 3D model just 500KB in size.
The end result? A model that’s easy to use, share, and integrate into planning and design work, without sacrificing accuracy. This project highlights our growing capability in LiDAR processing and 3D terrain modelling, giving clients clean, usable data they can rely on.
Unpicking Puzzling Property Titles
Sometimes, the hardest boundaries to define aren’t physical, they’re legal. Catherine recently took on a project involving split-zoned allotments that were physically separated but tied together under one Record of Title.
The sites didn’t meet the criteria to be held separately, requiring an in-depth assessment to satisfy council requirements. Through detailed planning analysis and careful consultation with council, Catherine built a strong case demonstrating that the subdivision wouldn’t set an undesirable precedent and ultimately securing resource consent. It’s the kind of quiet win that makes a big difference for landowners and showcases our strength in resource consent assistance.