What's on at Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Latest from the museum
Latest Exhibition
Tall Tails
Our Tall Tails exhibition features the mounted tails of the C-130 Hercules and P-3 Orion, this new exhibition brings visitors closer to two extraordinary aircraft and the stories they carry. It also highlights the importance of finding a permanent home for them, as the Museum continues to fundraise through the Home for Heroes project.
Tall Tails is on display in our Thérèse Angelo Wing.
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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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Support Us
Home for Heroes
Join us in building a forever home for New Zealand’s C-130 Hercules and P-3 Orion – icons of service.
For more than half a century, these legendary aircraft carried our nation’s courage across the world – in peace, crisis, and discovery. Now, they need a home worthy of their legacy, where their stories of service, innovation and humanity will continue to inspire.
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Birthday Parties
Mission: Best birthday ever
Zip up a flight suit, grab your dog tags, and dive into a fully hosted birthday “mission”. From air & sea adventures for preschoolers to rescue and cadet challenges for older children. Our Programmes team runs the activities, the children get awesome photo moments (and party bags), and you can add catering through our café.
Book a birthday party
Our Aircraft
Explore AircraftMore to explore
❓MYSTERY AIFRIELD COMPETITION ❓: Correctly decipher these photographic breadcrumbs to identify this mystery RNZAF airfield - and win yourself a fantastic prize!
This is not easy - it ain't no Whenuapai or Ohakea - but there are some clues littered throughout the photos.
Put your answers in the comments below and go in the draw to win a beautiful and coveted Air Force Museum of New Zealand mug.
They're round - with roundels. They're all the rage this winter because they can be used as mugs for tea, coffee or nourishing soups or as holdalls for nick-nacks.#mysteryairfieldmysteryairfield ... See MoreSee Less
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RNZAF Waipapakauri.
RNZAF Station Waipapakauri.
Taieri?
RNZAF Ashburton
RNZAF Station Waipapakauri in Northland
Taieri
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📢🚨WHOOP WHOOP - GET THE KETTLE ON - WE HAVE A WINNER!📢🚨: Colin Farley is this week's mug-winning genius.
Colin correctly identified the mystery control column was from a De Havilland Devon.
These magnificent machines first arrived in 1948 and the air force operated 30 of them for 33 years.
They were used for everything from VIP duties to navigation trainers. NZ1821, pictured, is the Devon that rules them all thanks to ts own special paint job in the colours of the Wigram base commander.
Colin, we hope this prized coffee mug makes your world complete! May your Nescafe be tastier, andf your Bell tea make you feel more alive.
Please email communications@airforcemuseum.co.nz and we will fire up the Devon and fly the mug out to you. If those beautiful six cylinder Gipsy Queens do not start, we will courier it.
A new mystery awaits next we#MysteryObjectbj#wedonthaveacluea#ImpossiblePuzzleuzzle ... See MoreSee Less
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I had my first flight in one at RNZAF Wigram as an ATC cadet in 1958
I worked on them on 42 Sqn. Now I feel really old.
And sadly NZ1821 is no longer around
Awesome. Email Sent
Made great training aids, I seem to remember doing engine runs was great fun
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THE UTE OF THE SKY! If you haven't seen it, you've missed out!
Here's our tribute to the RNZAF's retired fleet of five C-130H (NZ) Hercules aircraft, playing now upstairs in our Mighty Hercules exhibition.
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Flew to Fiji for an army exercise back in the 70s, still have the photos of that C130 we left Whenuapai in the early morning, 4 hours I think to Fiji, did our exercise and flew back in the same aircraft.
Probably flown in it a number of times.
Has one been kept for the museum?
Watched it start to finish on last visit. C130 is an amazing aircraft
The only plane where as a passenger you could find the most comfortable spot on the cargo, stretch out and go to sleep
Hercs also had the ballsiest pilots, even more than Huey drivers
Buck, think i was on that return trip. I read 2 wilbur smith novels sitting/ lying on top of a big wooden crate. It was 18 hrs flying home from singapore.
Had the joy of being a passenger in these often. Foster father ex Air Force and the C130s were often used on SATS flights on a Monday end Friday moving Defense Force Staff between bases,
Longest trip I did as pax was after a Vanguard Exercise with the Skyhawks in Singapore. We flew from Darwin to Ohakea direct ,10hrs 59 mins!! The Herc was packed with the spare Skyhawk Engine,spares boxes,toolboards,not a lot of room to stretch!
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