What's on at Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Latest from the museum
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
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.
Learn More
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.
Learn More
Our Aircraft
Explore AircraftMore to explore
WINNER CHICKEN DINNER: Here's lucky Ross McNaughton - winner of an exclusive tour of our Hercules and Orion aircraft.
Ross is one of the kind donors to our Home for Heroes campaign - and owner of one of our Herc Yeah hats!
He donated to our campaign to build a new home for our C-130H and P-3K2 Orion while visiting our stand at Warbirds over Wānaka at Easter - and his name went in the draw.
When he won the tour he and wife Dianne diverted on their way home to Auckland to visit.
Ross has a strong RNZAF connection - his dad served in the air force in the Pacific during World War Two.
Ross and Dianne live at Murrays Bay in Auckland, not far down the road from RNZAF Base Auckland at Whenuapai.
"I love anything to do with aviation. I'm quite often attached to the fence at Whenuapai when there's something landing,'' he says.
They had a wonderful time - and so did we - and we hope to see them again soon.
You can support our Home for Heroes campaign here: airforcemuseum.co.nz/donate/ ... See MoreSee Less
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❓SUPER MYSTERY COCKPIT COMPETITION❓: Can you name the aircraft this cockpit belongs to?
Put your answers in the comments below and you'll go in the draw to win an Air Force Museum of New Zealand roundel mug.
They are round with roundels and have regularly topped the World's Most Desirable Coffee Mug list*.
This is a competition with a difference - we don't know the answer.
So you're going to have to dazzle us with science and logic to convince us you are right, and then you will go in the draw to win the coveted mug.
Good luck!
*The annual World's Most Desirable Coffee Mug li#mysterycockpit #mysterycockpitcompetitionm#wedonthaveacluep#impossiblepuzzleveaclue #impossiblepuzzle ... See MoreSee Less
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Its the Wright Flyer
Thats the C 130 H as we received them. Radar Display (APN 59B) on top of glare shield
Tiger moth ....😁😁
1973 Mk111 Cortina, English version with overdrive, hence the extra gear levers. All the middle panel gauges are oil leak detectors.
Ah real planes will real gauges! its a C130-H pre-LEP upgrade flight deck.
Looks like my 850 mini from the early '80s. I had a gauge for everything.
Looks like a C130 before thay upgraded to the digital cockpit
I agree- a C-130 Hercules before the upgrade😃
An older Hercules C130 model
checking the reflection in the centre dial
Definately C-130E-H from 1960ies
C 130 E or H From the Flight Engineer’s seat
C130H before they upgraded to glass
Yep,C130H as when I worked on them back 1966.
is it Douglas C-54 Skymaster (the military version of the DC-4) ?
Definitely a Herc, I used to do heavy checks on them at Safe Air.
Lockheed C-130 Hercules....no science behind it - Google image is a wonderful tool to find things 🤣🤣
Copilot is my go to as a sticky beak and it’s suggested an aircraft from 40’s - 60’s possibly a DC-3/DC-4 or the Antonov.
B 170
C-130H legacy
C130 H pre updated cockpit
Canberra - photographed from a Canberra
Pre update Herc.
A pretty old C-130 cockpit
Charles 130
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JOHN BOY ENTRANT: Flight Sergeant (retired) John Donovan dropped by on his way home from Warbirds over Wānaka to make sure we're looking after his old charges properly.
John left home in Te Puke in 1955 to join the RNZAF as a Boy Entrant, starting out as an air frame specialist. He spent the next 23 years in a number of roles and postings, ending up as an instructor.
His favourite posting was Laucala Bay in Fiji with No. 5 Squadron working on Sunderlands.
He also worked on Freighters and was on the team that went to Marietta in Georgia to replace the original centre wing sections on the RNZAF's C-130 Hercules.
But his favourite job of all was a posting as an Iroquois crew member with No. 3 Squadron.
"When the Iroquois were new they did not have a specific role for crew, so they used to send us along with a tool box. We were a crew member and a mechanic all in one.''
John left the RNZAF in 1978 and went on to a long career in aviation as an instructor, working all over the world with Air New Zealand, Gulf Air, Ansett and he trained as an Airbus specialist in Toulouse, France. He retired only a few years ago at 80 - yes 80!
Starting out as a boy entrant and going through the RNZAF system to instructor level stood him in good stead, he says.
"The RNZAF teachers practice course was excellent and I could take what I learned with me to any job.''
Thanks for dropping by and thanks for your service Flight!
#rnzaf #airbus #airnzengineering ... See MoreSee Less
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He may well know a bloke i know who was a Engineer Through the RNZAF Too and was the Manager for the Air New Zealand Training School before he retired by the name of Allen McDonnell
Good old Preggy. 🫡
John would have been in Fiji working on the Sunderland Flying Boats, at the same time as a Pilot l knew,Derek Scott,from Geraldine.We lived across the road from them and he was flying the Sutherlands in the late 50's,l remember.
You are looking good John, great to see you.
Good to still see you vertical John.
Wow ,what a great career
Looking good Droopy. I take it you’re not playing a lot of rugby these days. 🤪
Great to see you Droopy. Cheers.
Hi John. You have done well.
Greetings Droopy Donovan.. great to see you in good spirits... Cheers!!
Blast from the past.youve done well. Eng
What a fantastic career!
Looking good JD...
Great to see you John. Very best regards Graeme.
🫡
Hi JD.
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