New charge for overseas visitors
From 31 March 2025 international visitors to the Air Force Museum of New Zealand will be required to buy a $15 ticket.
We’re sorry to have to charge after being free for so many years, but the charge is required to cover rising costs and to contribute to our new $16 million extension to house the newest members of our collection – our historic Hercules and Orion aircraft.
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The Hercules has landed!
The RNZAF's fleet of five Lockheed C-130H Hercules transport aircraft served New Zealand for 60 years. Learn all about the aircraft from the people who flew it in the 1960s, and the final crews who operated the Hercules until its retirement. This film is a tribute to this extraordinary aircraft and to all of those who maintained and operated the mighty Hercules over those years.
#extraordinaryaircraft
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#Extraordinaryaircraft
Help us build a home for our #extraordinaryaircraft
Our Lockheed C-130H (NZ) Hercules and P-3K2 Orion have had long-term preservation work completed so they can be safely stored while we work on plans for a new permanent exhibition space large enough to house them.
Measuring 29.8m from nose to tail, with a wingspan of 40.5m and a tail soaring to just under 11m high, the Hercules is too large for our current exhibition halls. The Orion is almost as tall and even longer – stretching to 36m thanks to its submarine-detecting tail boom.
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Exhibitions
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.
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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.
Exhibitions
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!
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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
SEASPRITE SUNDAY: Today is Seasprite Sunday, a day we've dedicated to the mighty Kaman helicopter.
These ship-based helicopters were designed in the 1950s and have served in the New Zealand Defence Force since 1997.
No. 6 Squadron currently operates the helicopters but plans are afoot to replace them as they near the end of their working lives.
We're lucky enough to be the proud owners of NZ3442, which was built in 1987 and served first with the US Navy, before being sold to the RNZN.
With the arrival of the SH-2G models in 2015, NZ3442 was sold back to Kaman Aerospace Corporation in 2001, which in turn donated #extraordinaryaircraftr#seasprite##kamani#RNZNa#rnzafnzn #rnzaf ... See MoreSee Less
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With being member of 5EYES, will be Westland Wildcat or Sikorsky Seahawk, preferably the later.
Air Force Museum of New Zealand any ideas on the replacement?
KNOW YOUR ORIONS! The RNZAF's fleet of Lockheed Orions arrived in 1966 and retired in 2023, serving for an astonishing 57 years as airborne reconnaissance and response force aircraft.
These extraordinary aircraft were consistently upgraded, starting out as P-3B Orions and ending up as P-3K2 models after upgrades.
Here's a fascinating film about the 2011 upgrade that turned them into P-3K2 models. Study this, and you will know your O#extraordinaryaircraftr#LockheedOrionk#p3orionn #p3orion ... See MoreSee Less
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I was involved in the installation of some of the hardware and supporting structures for the K2 upgrade at Safe Air as it was at that time over a number of years. An interesting and challenging job with a great bunch of guys which was one of the highlights of my time working at Safe Air/Airbus NZ.
Air Force Museum of New Zealand Don’t really need to, I grew up in Whenuapai, went to see them basically everyday as my late father worked on the base, so I heard and saw them fly in and out all times of the day and night… then much later on when I lived in Gisborne I had a friend who I was at school with in Singapore he became an airforce member and during a visit the P-3K2 came to Gisborne and I took a look around and inside… déjà vu !!
Got an old Defense Force mag with the upgrade done at Hyundai? Pretty impressive and as usual,first in the world.
GUESS THE COCKPIT: We've dialled up the difficulty-o-meter today with this tricky medley of shots.
Can you name the manufacturer and the model of the RNZAF aircraft these cockpit instruments belong to?
Correct guesses will go in the draw to win the coffee mug everyone is talking about this autumn - the Air Force Museum of New Zealand roundel special!
It is round, with roundels, and a handle suited for both lefties and righties. Best of all it is the perfect container for Joe Room coffee, tea, milo or something a little stronger.
Put your best guess in the comments below or you can email communications@airforcemuseum.co.nz for a confidential service.
Beware of SCAMMERS! We will not contact you directly with any links saying you have won or ask for any information.
Best of l#extraordinaryaircraftc#rnzafpastandpresente#canterburyplanespotterstters ... See MoreSee Less
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"Parachute Deploy" - must be the McDonnell Douglas A4 Skyhawk
Skyhawk.
T bird NZ6264, first Kahu!
MD A-4 Scooter. You can tell just from the B8 grip on the stick, we only ever flew 2 machines with it and the other was the Huey.
Douglas A-4L “NZ6207”. Built as an A-4C originally and modified to an L (A-4F avionics but retained the A-4C J-65 engine and only 3 under wing hard points). Converted to an A-4K by the Air Force Museum Black Gand Gang, including two additional under wing hard points, longer A-4F nose and J-52 intakes, amongst other minor changes (like antennas and the addition of the drag chute and switch in the cockpit).
yes Mc Donnell Douglas A4 Skyhawk. if this is the one painted as NZ6207 then it was a C modified to an L b4 the black hand gang attacked it. but then this could be file photos rather than a shot of actual aircraft in the collection....
Pre Kahu Skyhawk
A4K Skyhawk pre Kahu. Guessing it’s NZ6207 which is a former A4L.
McDonnell Douglas A4K Skyhawk
A4k Skyhawk.
Skyhawk, before all the wiz bang stuff!
A-4K Skyhawk👍
A4 Skyhawk
A4K Skyhawk built by McDonnel Douglas
Douglas A4 Skyhawk
A4K Skyhawk
A4 pre Kahu or the dinosaur
To easy
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
Douglas A4K Skyhawk. Single engine jet (no mixture,prop etc) joystick, IFF, drag chute capable.
A4K Skyhawk
To easy, the early McDonnell Douglas RNZAF A4K (Pre-Kahu) Skyhawk NZ6207
Skyhawk before the Kahu project
F18 Super Hornet 👌
McDonnell A4 Skyhawk
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PARTY HANGAR: Charles is having a big day next week and, as you can see, the guests have started arriving early.
Our C-130H Hercules NZ7001 – known to its crews as Charles – turns 60 on Monday. His birth certificate shows he was accepted into the RNZAF on 24 March 1965.
First guests to arrive were TE288 – our Supermarine Spitfire and NZ 2410 - our North American P-51D Mustang.
Rounding out the guest list are our Boeing 727 NZ7272 and English Electric Canberra A84-240, who has come all the way from Australia.
And, of course, no party would be complete without NZ3000 – our P-40E Kittyhawk.
Charles is a little – ahem – chunky – so there was a lot of parking magic to do to get them all to fit.
It makes for a rowdy hangar party.
It also makes for a great photo to see a Hercules with a Mustang and a Spitfire tucked under the wing, and a Kittyhawk sitting snugly on the other side.
Thanks Alan, Barf, Jim, Raz, PJ and Barry for all the wrangling.
#rnzafpastandpresent #rnzaf #c130hercules ... See MoreSee Less
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Lauchlan Brady Pretty much everything that is still in there - we've just had to scooch everyone over a bit to make it all fit. Our collections and workshops teams have done an incredible job of hangar Tetris with aircraft, tugs, bomb loaders, engines, fire appliances, ambulances, etc etc. If you come to our open days on 11-15 April you can see for yourself how it all works. But we desperately need more space to be able to reassemble and display the P-3K2 (NZ4203) and Charles (NZ7001).
This is gonna be one hell of a party 🥳
Ya’ll forgot about the 727 🥺
If I was a bit closer, I'd have brought Charles and friends a cake!
When is this open to public
What had previously been inside both hangers before the arrivals of the Orion and C-130?
Typical..40 Sqn hosting a Happy Hour
Shame this wasn’t 04 which had an endearing wiggle when it flew!
What an awesome line up. 😀👍👍
Awesome display of aircraft! 👍
Many years now Barrie!
What an awesome guest list ✈️💕🤩
Per ardua ad astra…
❤️❤️❤️
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