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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#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
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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Our Aircraft
Explore AircraftMore to explore
It's New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) week and we wanted to show you the fun things for kids to do at our museum. Learn more with Bianca and Amy.
This year NZSL Week’s theme is 'An Aotearoa Where Anyone Can Sign Anywhere.' Check out the NZSL Week’s website nzsignlanguage.nz/ to discover more ways that you can sign!
A huge thank you to Julie, from Sign Equity, for helping us create this week’s videos!
#NZSLWeek25 #NZSLForAll #NZSLAnywhere #NZSL ... See MoreSee Less
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HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Here's to all the mums. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do, have a wonderful day!
If you're looking for something to do with mum after PT this morning, march on in for a delicious coffee and treat at our#CONTACTCafee#mothersdayafe #mothersday ... See MoreSee Less
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Thankyou 👍🙂
FRIENDS REUNITED: Brian Carruthers enjoyed a visit back to the office, the cockpit of our Bell UH-1H Iroquois.
RNZAF’s Iroquois were Brian’s office for 3000 hours during his 29-year air force career.
Brian joined in 1972 and flew Harvards, Airtourers, Airtrainers, Devons, Sioux, Wasps and Iroquois.
The Iroquois is hands down his favourite thanks to its versatility and reliability.
“It was relatively easy to fly and you could make it sing and dance if you wanted to,’’ Brian says.
“All I can think about is the things we could do and the places we could go with it.’’
For Brian this included landing a heavily loaded on top (yes the top!) of Mount Erebus in Antarctica, as well as being deployed to warmer climes such as Singapore.
Sitting in the cockpit once again the memories came flooding back to Brian – the deployments, search and rescue operations and the sheer joy of flying a Huey.
“It looks like a helicopter should look,’’ he says.
The RNZAF’s first Iroquois – our Huey NZ3801 – arrived in 1966 and they served for an astonishing 49 years.
Brian retired as a Group Captain in 2000 and counts himself lucky to have served in the RNZAF.
“The great thing was that they actually paid me to do all of this. I felt very lucky – the secret is that I would have paid them to let me fly.’’
Or maybe it was the RNZAF that got lucky when young Brian Carruthers signed up.
Thanks for your service and for visiting your museum Brian.
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Hi BC - good to see you.
Brian you are a bit of a legend 💙
My husband Chris Paget recalls accompanying you on the first 3 Squadron Antarctica exchange program
Enjoyed my time as a SAR Medic operating out of Wigram and as a medic in Singapore with a few hours there over 4 years. Loved the Iroquois.
Looking good BC,I was with you on one of the trips to top of Mt Erebus,in fact the Huey youre sitting in, 01,was one of the two Hueys we had down the Ice in the Summer of 1992 .
This guy looks way too young to be BC.
Great to see you, BC!
Looking good BC
Blast from the past, looking well Brian.
I reacon he could do a few circuits now too.
You forgot to mention flying the Auster “NZ1702” BC 😀
You look right at home there Brian Carruthers
In the jungles of Malaysia nothing could surpass the sweet sound of rotor blades of a UH1H far in the distance coming to take us home, I will never forget it.
Nice one BC...
A top bloke!
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What can you see on our Daily Tour? Bianca and Amy describe some of the highlights using New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL).
It is NZSL Week and this year’s theme is 'An Aotearoa Where Anyone Can Sign Anywhere.' Check out the NZSL Week’s website nzsignlanguage.nz/ to discover more ways that you can sign!
A huge thank you to Julie, from Sign Equity, for helping us create this week’s videos!
#NZSLWeek25 #NZSLForAll #NZSLAnywhere #NZSL ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook