What's on at Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Latest from the museum
Latest 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.
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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#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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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.
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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Our Aircraft
Explore AircraftMore to explore
WE HAVE A WINNER! Take a bow Jason Chuah, winner of this week’s competition.
Json took one look at our mystery aircraft and ship photo and scorched in with his answer: A Douglas A-4K Skyhawk for the aircraft and its manufacturer, and the ship was HMAS Adelaide (HMAS 01), an Adelaide-class guided missile frigate. The Adelaide class was a modified version of the Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate.
Please email communications@airforcemuseum.co.nz Jason and we will fire up the Bristol Freighter and fly out your fantastic prize – an exclusive Air Force Museum of New Zealand roundel mug – as soon as we can.
The idea for this competition came from a recent visitor, Dave Messenger, who served in the Royal Australian Navy aboard the Adelaide. Dave loved seeing our Skyhawk – which rekindled his memories of exercises with the RNZAF aircraft.
Dave served from 1988 to 1997. He completed two tours to the Persian Gulf aboard the HMAS Adelaide and HMAS Melbourne.
Thanks for your service, Dave, for the competition idea, and for visiting. Congratulations Jason!
#HMASAdelaide #royalaustraliannavy #rnzafpastandpresent
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ALF's IMPERIAL AIR FORCE? Chief Private Property, a member of Alf's Imperial Army, dropped by for a tour of the museum and spent a suspiciously long time eyeing up our Sopwith Pup.
Chief Private, also known as Ross, is a member of the Alf's Imperial Fifth Waikato Dragoons, a pacificist army which made its way fom Hamilton to invade Canterbury last year.
Alf's Imperial Army was formed by Ian Brackenbury Channell, otherwise known as the Wizard of New Zealand, and fights theatrical battles with weapons including paper swords and flour and porridge bombs - so no one is hurt.
The Army is in town for a pacificist battle this weekend, and also to check on its vanquished territories in the south.
Chief Private was tightlipped about whether his interest in the Pup meant an Alf's Imperial Air Force was in the wind, but we let him know the Sopwith is definitely not up for grabs as a po#alfsimperialarmybomber.
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They once took on the Ashley Unmounted Cavalry and lost.
Shame Ross isn’t allowed access to the Pup. No iteration of “flower bombs away” will be heard.
Got to love the glasses clipped over the belt, my guess is that they are now standard issue for most members of Alf's Imperial Army these days, good on them for keeping it alive
We used to have a similar group in Nelson. Don't know what happened to them. Greg Olsen?
The Alfs are nearly all gone now. Old age and so on. Proud to have known a few of them in my time. The funniest, silliest grownups who were brilliant every one of them, and never forgot how to have serious fun.
Great image! Wiz and Colonel Catford would be impressed! From a Christchurch veteran.
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URGENT CLARIFICATION: We've been inundated with inquiries wanting to know whether we require participants on our fantastic Discover Historic Wigram walking tours to wear uniforms and march in time.
Rest assured the fascinating 90-minute tour of our historic site is a relaxed journey, with no uniforms, marching or shouted orders from moustachioed drill sergeants.
However, in the interests of flexibility, we recommend a gentle warm-up ahead of the tour, starting with side stretches and followed more complicated team-building activities.
The tour is part of the Heritage Festival. Tours run from 10am-11.30am on selected dates during Christchurch’s Heritage Festival, 11-27 October - book here to find out more.
airforcemuseum.co.nz/events/discover-historic-wigram/
*These images are taken from our Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) Display in our Atrium. You can have a look after the walking tour!
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Such a good tour.
Could be inntrresting
Lol
We invite you to our Airplane and Helicopter Marketplace! Buy, sell, and connect with fellow enthusiasts, and explore a selection of aircraft parts and accessories.https://www.facebook.com/share/g/16yLeYFQdX/?mibextid=wwXIfr