What's on at Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Latest from the museum
Latest Exhibition
Victory!
It is 80 years since the end of the Second World War.
Our Victory exhibition, upstairs in the atrium, 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.
Exhibition
The Mighty Hercules
The Mighty Hercules exhibition is on in the Cochrane Gallery upstairs in our atrium. Come and visit and learn all about this extraordinary aircraft.
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Update
Overseas visitor charge
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.
The charge is required to cover rising costs and to contribute to our new $20 million extension to house the newest members of our collection – our historic Hercules and Orion aircraft.
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Our Aircraft
Explore AircraftMore to explore
GRAN'S TROPICAL PAST! Imagine the year is 1963, you're 11 years old, and dad comes home to say the family has been posted to Fiji!
That was exactly what happened to Karen Woodward (nee Tattersall) - and the next few years of her life at RNZAF Station Laucala Bay were pure bliss.
Life seemed like one big holiday. She divided her time between the swimming pool, outdoor movies, Girl Guides, parties and tennis.
The only inconvenience was the bus ride to school at Suva Grammar during term time!
Karen dropped by the other day to pick up a copy of Bee Dawson's Laucala Bay book, so she could show grandchildren Huw and Stella where she used to live.
And she also showed them her normal mode of transport during her other family postings - the mighty Bristol Freighter.
Karen's father Brian was a metal worker who served 24 years in the RNZAF.
The Tattersalls also lived at Wigram, Whenuapai, Hobsonville, and Woodbourne - but Laucala Bay was the the best of all.
Welcome to your museum RNZAF brat Karen, we're glad you#rnzafbratg#LaucalaBay
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This was us when we were posted to what was Base Te Rapa.. best move ever. Not to mention the 2 family holidays to Fiji.
WE HAVE TWO WINNERS!: Now this is going to be controversial, but here we go.
We have, belatedly, decided on two winners in our mystery aircraft and ship competition.
When we launched this one we gave it a health warning it was so difficult, and so it proved!
There was no problem identifying the aircraft, a C-47 Dakota NZ3546, but the ship proved tricky. So tricky we couldn't work it out, and had to call on our RNZN experts atTorpedo Bay Navy Museumuseum for advice.
The photo was taken in 1974, and the ship is most likely a Leander class frigate, which means it is either HMNZ Canterbury or HMNZS Waikato. If you look very closely, and use a little imagination, you can almost make out a number 5 on the side, which means the Waikato. However, we can't be 100% certain.
So our winners, drawn from the closest suggestions, are Roy Baldwin for guessing both the Waikato and the Canterbury with a second prize goes to Mike Smith for persistence.
Honourable mention to Grant LInkhorn for claiming he could see Cher on the deck, but no mug sorry.
If Roy and Mike email communications@airforcemuseum.co.nz we will fire up the Bristol Freighter and air drop your beautiful roundel mugs out to you.
Finally, apologies for making the competition so difficult, we outsmarted our#mysteryaircraftr#rnznr#RNZAFnzn #rnzaf ... See MoreSee Less
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Contacted headquarters and we are re-conferring. This may turn into a three mug giveaway situation!
As I have already said it’s Taranaki I was on it when this photo was taken .
Righto Air Force Museum of New Zealand, best you have another “Conflab” with Torpedo Bay Navy Museum and come up with the answer. Sounds like people in the know beg to differ !!!
They'd better pay out a little more line on the drogue. That turret looks like it's aiming.
Definitely not a Leander. If the ship is Kiwi, its either Otago, or Taranaki.
Definitely Otago or Taranaki, the Bridge area is different to a Leander,and you can't get down the waist on that but you can on a leander
The bridge area has that centre bulge indicating it's not a Leander, probably like Kevin said above, either Otago or Taranaki?
Bad news.its not a Leander. Either Taranaki or Otago.
Not a Leander class as the forward superstructure is different. I'd go with HMNZS Taranaki as the pennant number looks like it has an 8 in it, being F148. HMNZS Otago was F111. But then again, I'm not an 'expert'. Carry on
For sure it's a Rothesay-class (Type 12M) Frigate
Definitely not a Leander. Wrong bridge screen, wrong director for the turret, no flight deck. No 965 Long Range Radar antenna.
That ship is not a Leander Class as the bridge is that of a Whitby Class, such as Otago, Taranaki or Blackpool maybe, as is the FPS5 gunnery tracking system above the bridge and the radar further back on the port side of the mainmast.
Its not a Leander, its HMNZS Taranaki (I only say its not otago because the number on the side is no way F111) which is a modified rothesay class that the RNZN had between 1960 and 1982
Persistence! I'll take that for the win! Cheers 😃 🏆 (Ps, my money is still on HMNZS Taranaki 😉 )
I'm going with the Muddy Puddle(Blackpool)
Thats Otago or Taranaki the bridge shape is wrong for a Leander. They were Rothsay class ships. Cannot see a pennant number or a banana on the focsle for scale lol
That's a Rothesay Frigate so neither Canterbury or Waikato.
That’s a bit embarrassing 😳,…..not HMNZS WAIKATO or HMNZS CANTERBURY, incorrect bridge screen and no flight deck.
It’s not Canterbury or Waikato as both had flight decks, that ship has not, the number on the side to me could be F 111 which is Otago?
Being a gunner in the navy at the time it will be waikato because I also picked up Canterbury as new and dc3 had ceased to be tow aircraft because things sped up by them so used faster aircraft ie skyhawks
It’s not a Leander frigate. It’s HMNZS Otago, Rothesay class. Compare Torpedo Bay photographs of all three, especially the bridge shape, and the deck above the bridge. Otago fits the picture. Waikato and Canterbury don’t. 🙂
OTAGO, TARANAKI or BLACKPOOL
Kevin Hughes; Taranaki or Otago (Rothesay class). Most likely Taranaki based on indistinct pennant number. Noting, Bridge shape, type 275 gunnery director. Blackpool (Whitby class) was loaned while Canterbury was being built and had been returned to RN by ‘74. More comps please!
So is the Air Force assuming that the photo was taken from the helo from the shop and that’s why it’s a Leander??? and it isn’t so who took the the photo and from what?? The frigate has the extended funnel and a closed in mast so that will date it.
Otago or Taranaki
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YOUNG GUNS: This year’s class of young student pilots from the International Aviation Academy of New Zealand (IAANZ) took some time out from studying to visit us here at Wigram and learn about our aviation past.
They also jumped at the chance to get up close to an icon of New Zealand military aviation - a Curtiss P-40E Kittyhawk.
Unfortunately for them a Kittyhawk isn’t part of the training fleet!
There’s a worldwide shortage of commercial pilots (and the industry says we’re about 100 short here at the moment) so flying schools like IAANZ are working hard to meet the demand.
IAANZ is based out of RNZAF Station Harewood – Christchurch Airport – which is a great place to learn to fly.
Kittyhawks were the mainstay of the RNZAF Pacific fighter effort from 1942 until 1944, with 297 of the aircraft in service.
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Best wishes for your future from the RNZAFA Canterbury branch 👏
Go well all.👏
Lovely photo of the latest group of trainees. Best wishes to you all!
They have some amazing flight instructors Matt Johnson!
Rainbow 🌈 group
The problem is funding. Student loan for flight training is capped at $70,000. You need another $50,000 to actually complete the training. Secondly, jobs are hard to come by in New Zealand.
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