What's on at Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Latest from the museum
New Exhibition
Victory!
This year marks 80 years since the end of the Second World War.
A new exhibition, called Victory, marks this significant milestone in world history, and the story of the RNZAF.
Victory includes images and memories of Victory in Europe (VE) Day and Victory over Japan (VJ) Day which have been sourced from photographs, letters, postcards and personal histories in our collection.
Victory includes insights into how Kiwis celebrated, and how they felt.
Many found it difficult to rejoice after so much loss and suffering.
You’re welcome to come along and learn all about the end of World War Two with us. The exhibition is on in our upstairs balcony in the atrium.
New Exhibition
The Mighty Hercules
We are delighted to let you know that our latest exhibition, the Mighty Hercules, is now open. Come and visit and learn all about this extraordinary aircraft.
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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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Update
New charge for overseas visitors
A $15 entry charge was introduced for all international visitors to the Air Force Museum of New Zealand from 31 March 2025. Tickets available online or from our Welcome Desk on arrival.
We were 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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RNZAF vets tell their stories on VJ Day. Thank you TVNZ! ... See MoreSee Less
'War is useless': Vets aged over 100 mark V-J Day with frank words
www.1news.co.nz
WWII ended 80 years ago today. Arthur Driver, Les Winslade and Bill Morton were there – and one of them almost didn't make it home. Here are their stories.Comment on Facebook
VJ DAY: Eighty years ago today, New Zealand celebrated the end of World War Two with a mixture of relief, sadness and trepidation about what lay ahead.
There was also a lot of partying! RNZAF personnel on New Britain celebrated by setting their latrines on fire, which they probably regretted the next day!
Peter Sheppard, a Corsair pilot, summed up his experiences fighting in the Pacific in this way:
“So that was WAR. What a waste of years. What a shocking waste of life. What misery. It left us with a sort of empty feeling, but relief at being back home again and the desire to do something practical with our lives, resuming where we had left off a few years earlier. I had been lucky, several times, and remembered our fellow pilots who didn’t have the luck.”
Peter’s reflections kick off the second part of our Victory exhibition, which opens today.
Victory includes images and memories of Victory in Europe (VE) Day and Victory over Japan Day which have been sourced from photographs, letters, postcards and personal histories in our collection.
Victory includes insights into how Kiwis celebrated, and how they felt. Many found it difficult to rejoice after so much loss and suffering. While it was a day to celebrate, there was also much to mourn.
There was also the fact that war had only been won with the use of a terrifying new weapon, the atomic bomb, and nothing would ever be the same again.
Victory is a free exhibition and we’re open from 9.30am until 4.30pm daily.
The exhibition is in our upstairs balcony in the atrium.
#vjday #christchurchnz #freethingstodoinchristchurch #worldwartwo ... See MoreSee Less
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Indeed. My Dad is mentioned in the book. He was involved in the unfortunate sad day of BLACK MONDAY in which he lost many of his fellow pilots of 16th Squadron Corsairs. RIP 🥀
On 15 August 1945 news came to RNZAF 6 Squadron at Halavo Bay, Solomon Islands, that Japan had surrendered. At 14.30 hours a Thanks Giving Service was conducted by Rev. James 'Jim' Evan Stewart and Wing Commander Kenneth Gordon Smith.
I have a picture of my mum marching as a WAF down Auckland Street on this day I think. From out of the paper
With you in spirit.
I highly recommend the book "Too Young to Die" by Bryan Cox.
There is one of these in the alexandera turnbill library from a family member killed in a historic nz plane crash The Pour le Mérite
I still have his air force badges and all the news paper articlles and memorbellia. In a box kapiti teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/6571/a-fatal-accident
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DEVON SENT: Jeanette McBrearty has reported for duty again at Wigram, a short 56 years after she left.
Jeanette, second from the right in the front row of the recruit photo, first arrived at RNZAF Station Wigram in 1967, where she'd joined up to train as an assistant instrument technician.
She served until 1969, and loved her time in the RNZAF.
"I couldn't recommend it enough - it was the comradery I loved, and the huge amount of support both socially and academically.''
Her favourite aircraft was, and remains, the elegant de Havilland Devon.
"I flew to Woodbourne and back on it regularly and I have this strong memory of the wings moving up and down as I looked out. I've been obsessed with all types of aircraft ever since my RNZAF days.''
Welcome to your museum Jeanette - thank you for your service!
#rnzafpastandpresent #rnzafa #rnzafassocation ... See MoreSee Less
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