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
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SHORT TALK: ASHBURTON: THE MAKING OF AN AERODROME: Visitors are in for a treat on 7 March when we present a Short Talk on Ashburton Aerodrome!
Volunteer guide Glenn Vallender will trace the history of aviation in Ashburton, which started out in 1908 with ballooning exhibitions on the local A & P showgrounds, and then became the first stop on aviation pioneer Captain Euan Dickson’s southern tour in 1920.
During World War Two it was used as an RNZAF elementary flight school and it has grown into a 99-hectare aerodrome with four runways, private hangars and its own dedicated aviation museum.
Glenn will describe how the aerodrome’s determined backers had a conviction in the inevitable future of aviation for civil and military use, which resulted in it becoming the first council-owned aerodrome in the South Island.
This FREE event is the latest in our Short Talk series and will be on in our Theatre, beginning at 10am on Saturday 7 March.
Images: Taken from the Frances Cameron Eichbaum personal album collection from the No. 3 Squadron, Territorial Air Force camp at Ashburton Airfield in 1953.
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QUEENIE TOUR: Kiwis have always been impressed with royalty and when Queenie - the Royal Australian Air Force’s first Avro Lancaster – landed here it was a big deal as you can see from the pics!
The Lancaster, ED930, was on a goodwill tour to raise money for Victory Bonds when it wowed the crowds in June 1943.
Queenie was built in Canada and flew to Amberley in Australia via California, Hawaii, Fiji and various points in between in May 1943.
A few weeks later Queenie took seven hours to fly across the Tasman to tour RNZAF stations around the country. Our collection includes various pictures from Wigram and Whenuapai.
Queenie was a sensation – the giant Avro was the latest and greatest. Lancasters had entered the war in early 1942 and went on to become the Royal Air Force Bomber Command's most successful heavy bomber of the war.
Kiwis were in the thick of the fighting in the RAF. Almost 6000 Kiwi aviators served in Bomber Command in Europe, and 1800 lost their lives.
Queenie drew the patriotic crowds and was no doubt a money raising machine for the war effort on both sides of the Tasman. It even flew under the Sydney Harbour Bridge for the cause!
Like all Governments, ours looked to the public to help fund the war effort by issuing bonds.
Victory Bonds paid 3% interest and could be redeemed after five years.
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I had the immense pleasure to meet and interview the pilot of this Lancaster, Peter Isaacson, in 2015. He was a remarkable gentleman. And I of course asked him about the New Zealand tour. You can listen to the interview here. cambridgeairforce.org.nz/WONZShow/2015/12/woa-peter-isaacson/
I was there at Wigram, not long turned 3yo. What a buzz it was for me Natasha Todd Kim McFadyen
Dont think she was built in Canada as she was from the same batch of Lancs the original Dambuster ones were. Q was ED930, Gibsons Lanc was ED932and the rest of 617s followed on from there
Amberley is in Queensland, not NSW and is still a major RAAF base.
Spot the deliberate mistake. PM sent...
Did queenie survive the war
Beautiful black and white photos
14 June 1943 “Thousands of people in Christchurch witnessed the arrival of the giant, four- engined Avro-Lancaster bomber at Wigram on Saturday afternoon in the course of its New Zealand lour”
Peter Isaacson inside A66-1 (ED930). Photo from negative in Peter's collection.
Isaacson flew Queenie under the Sydney Harbour Bridge
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❤️TROPICAL ROMANCE❤️: Here's some romance to brighten your Tuesday!
A short 80 years ago in February 1946 young Betty Manz was on her way to Suva, Fiji, from Auckland aboard RCS Viti to meet up with her new husband, RNZAF No. 5 Squadron Catalina pilot Arthur Manz.
It was decided there was a need for an ‘interception exercise’ and so PB2B-1 Catalina NZ4054, with Arthur at the controls, set out from Laucala Bay, Fiji, to intercept the RCS Viti and ‘bomb’ it with a bouquet of flowers.
RNZAF Fiji Adjutant Alistair Scott was aboard the Catalina in the forward gunner’s position. He later recalled the pass over the Viti was so close he thought the mast would cut the Catalina in half!
Despite Arthur’s commitment to the cause, the flowers missed the target.
However, the master of the Viti, Captain Cummings (who must have been a romantic sailor at heart), turned his ship around to recover the bouquet for Betty.
The next morning the Arthur met Betty and the Viti on arrival in Suva and Arthur presented Captain Cummings with a bottle of Scotch for turning the ship around to collect the bouquet.
Romance was certainly alive and well in the Pacific in the 1940s!
Photos: Arthur with his log book and the relevant entry from Arthur’s log book. The Catalina is not NZ4054, but looks suitably romantic and tropical nonetheless.
❤️
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Used the ramp at Laucala Bay to launch our boat for 3 yrs we lived in Suva.(1979/81) Also used the hard stand area (there were no buildings there)… to assemble a shipment of ‘heavy earth moving’ equipment. After assembly, units were then barged to Lautoka and used to construct a Dam , a Hydro Power station and also water pipeline for ‘west side’ of the island. At same time separate construction of Monasavu Hydro Dam/ Power Station was also in progress….. prior to these, all electricity was diesel generated. Hydro still delivering today!😀
A wonderful story
How romantic