WANAKA, New Zealand -- “Hosting U.S. demonstration teams in New Zealand helps build country-to-country relations,” said Scott Brown, the U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa. “It is a superb way to enhance the working relationships between our militaries.”

After his personal tour, Brown traveled to Wanaka, where the demonstration teams performed their shows.

“It was a really cool experience,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Jacob Impellizzeri, a 14th Fighter Squadron F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot. “I've never had the opportunity to showcase our mission in such a way and it was awesome for him to invest his time to learn about our mission and why we're here.”

This year marks the 30th annual Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow. This is the first iteration to feature U.S. Air Force F-16s and the second appearance of the C-17.