Explore
Summer fun with us
Raining? Too hot? Either way we’ve got you covered!
Pop in today with the kids or grandkids and enjoy exploring New Zealand’s military aviation history with us. There’s plenty for the younger crowd to do with our Pop-Up library space, DropZone and Balloon Busters interactive games, behind-the-scenes tours, Captured! interactive, hunts and our Mosquito Mission simulator. There’s also our café on site.
We’re open each day (except Christmas Day) from 9.30am until 4.30pm and we have a HUGE free carpark. Campervans and caravans welcome!
Plan your visit
Pop in today with the kids or grandkids and enjoy exploring New Zealand’s military aviation history with us. There’s plenty for the younger crowd to do with our Pop-Up library space, DropZone and Balloon Busters interactive games, behind-the-scenes tours, Captured! interactive, hunts and our Mosquito Mission simulator. There’s also our café on site.
We’re open each day (except Christmas Day) from 9.30am until 4.30pm and we have a HUGE free carpark. Campervans and caravans welcome!
New exhibiton: Insights
Insights
Caldwell Gallery
From delicate pastel and crayon sketches to the brutality of a crash-damaged German bomber engine, Insights offers a tantalising peek at the breadth and depth of our collection. Like many museums, space constraints mean that only a fraction of our one million or so objects can ever be on display. It is a collection containing stories more than 100 years in the making and a source of endless fascination for the team of people who work to catalogue, conserve and care for it.
Find out more
From delicate pastel and crayon sketches to the brutality of a crash-damaged German bomber engine, Insights offers a tantalising peek at the breadth and depth of our collection. Like many museums, space constraints mean that only a fraction of our one million or so objects can ever be on display. It is a collection containing stories more than 100 years in the making and a source of endless fascination for the team of people who work to catalogue, conserve and care for it.
Featured Exhibition
P-3 Orion
Located upstairs in our Cochrane Gallery, our Orion exhibition traces the origins and service history of the RNZAF’s fleet of maritime aircraft which performed exceptional service for almost 60 years.
The exhibition includes a scale model of the aircraft dating back to 1968, and a 13-minute documentary featuring interviews with pilots and crew, and a yachtie rescued by the aircraft back in 1994.
P-3 Orion: The story of an extraordinary aircraft is not to be missed!
Learn more
The exhibition includes a scale model of the aircraft dating back to 1968, and a 13-minute documentary featuring interviews with pilots and crew, and a yachtie rescued by the aircraft back in 1994.
P-3 Orion: The story of an extraordinary aircraft is not to be missed!
Our Aircraft
Explore AircraftMore to explore
I'M DREAMING OF A BLUE CHRISTMAS: Read about how the RNZAF celebrated Christmases past in a seasonal blog by Research Curator Simon Moody.
airforcemuseum.co.nz/blog/yuletide-stories-the-rnzaf-at-christ#RNZAFr#rnzafpastandpresentesent ... See MoreSee Less
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One of the highlights of 2024 for us was this short film we made to accompany our P-3 Orion exhibition.
The exhibition, which is on currently upstairs in our Cochrane Gallery, traces the history of the extraordinary fleet of six Orion aircraft which served the RNZAF for more than 50 years.
From hunting submarines, UFOs and French agents, to saving lives, the Orions were the backbone of the RNZAF maritime reconnaissance around the clock.
As part of the production we were able to reunite former pilot Bruce Craies with yachtie Murray O'Neil, who Bruce and his crew found during the Queen's Birthday Storm in 1994 after Bruce's yacht Silver Shadow was dismasted.
This is a preview - the real thing is at youtu.be/IFzp9Y#RNZAF
#p3orion##Lockheedo#extraordinaryaircraftrdinaryaircraft ... See MoreSee Less
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Well done
URGENT HOLIDAY MESSAGE: We're open for business as usual today from 9.30am until 4.30pm.
No matter what the weather is doing we’ve got you covered!
Entry is free so pop in today with the kids or grandkids and enjoy exploring New Zealand’s military aviation history at our place, 45 Harvard Avenue, Wigram, Christchurch.
There’s plenty for the younger crowd to do with our Pop-Up library space, DropZone and Balloon Busters interactive games, behind-the-scenes tours, Captured! interactive, hunts and our Mosquito Mission simulator. There’s also our café on site.
See you later! Ruff.
#christchurchnz #wigramskies #hornby ... See MoreSee Less
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Christmas message from the Chief of Air Force ... See MoreSee Less
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