It had failed to transport the prime minister at times and often broke down.
The Defence Force had also struggled with critical staff shortages, supply chain delays for aircraft parts and some were just becoming obsolete.
All of these factors made it increasingly difficult for things to line up – leaving the team stranded for another four weeks.
In 2021, the Hercules did manage to safely conduct a winter flight for a medical evacuation using night vision goggles to land.
At the time, RNZAF Base Auckland commander group captain Andy Scott said: “Flying to Antarctica is one of the highest risk missions we fly due to the lack of divert airfields and inability to get down and back without refuelling.
“The crews therefore are highly trained to analyse the situation with regards to the weather and the airfield state before making a decision to proceed.
“Flying in winter presents even more challenges due to the extreme cold, the rapidly changing weather and little to no visual warnings of the changes you would ‘see’ in summer.”
ACT Party’s Cameron said he was in contact with the team in Antarctica and said the whole situation was very difficult for those on the ground.
He said they worried that if there had not been a medical emergency, they might not have got out when they did.
They may have been stranded for longer in an isolated research station, separated from loved ones, with plummeting temperatures and no certainty about when or how they would get home.