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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New Exhibition
Lockheed C-130 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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Exhibitions
Insights
Caldwell Gallery
From delicate pastel and crayon sketches to the brutality of a crash-damaged German bomber engine, Insights offers a tantalising peek at the breadth and depth of our collection. Like many museums, space constraints mean that only a fraction of our one million or so objects can ever be on display. It is a collection containing stories more than 100 years in the making and a source of endless fascination for the team of people who work to catalogue, conserve and care for it.
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From delicate pastel and crayon sketches to the brutality of a crash-damaged German bomber engine, Insights offers a tantalising peek at the breadth and depth of our collection. Like many museums, space constraints mean that only a fraction of our one million or so objects can ever be on display. It is a collection containing stories more than 100 years in the making and a source of endless fascination for the team of people who work to catalogue, conserve and care for it.
Our Aircraft
Explore AircraftMore to explore
THAT’S MY MUM! Pam Absolum visited our museum the other day and was having a look at our WAAF display when a familiar face jumped out.
“I thought that looks like my mum and then I looked closer and said that’s mum alright!’’
And so it is. Pam’s mum Marion Stenberg was a section officer in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force from 1939 until 1945.
She served all around New Zealand, and Pam says she loved her time in uniform and had plenty of stories from her wartime service.
“She was a school teacher, a music teacher and she loved playing the Warsaw Concerto and the Dambuster’s March. At the weekends to make ends meet she’d also work at the TAB, being a teacher and a musician she was good at maths,'' Pam says.
“I’m really proud of her.’’
The RNZAF runs in the family. Marion’s brothers Wesley and John Stenberg also served, as did her husband (and Pam’s father) Stanley Knox.
Thanks for visiting your family museum, Pam!
To learn more about WAAFs like Marion Stenberg, we have two special displays on currently at the museum.
WAAF: The Women's Auxiliary Air Force during World War Two: airforcemuseum.co.nz/special-exhibitions/waaf-ww2/
WAAF hats: airforcemuseum.co.nz/blog/military-millinery-hats-in-the-waaf-and-wrnzaf/
#rnzaf #waaf ... See MoreSee Less
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GUESS THE COCKPIT: We've cranked up the difficulty-inator for this Monday brainteaser.
The pictures are from an RNZAF cockpit, and an awesome one at that!
Correctly name the aircraft and its manufacturer and go into the draw to win an Air Force Museum roundel mug.
Not only are they round, they also have roundels.
Put your answer in the comments below or, for a confidential service, email communications@airforcemuseum.co.nz.
Happy hunti#guessthecockpitc#RNZAFr#rnzafpastandpresentesent ... See MoreSee Less
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It's clearly a Hillman Hunter... 🤣
Can’t be Andover…no APU and certainly no air conditioning!
1990 Pat 1
Lockheed P3- k2 Orion
Lockheed P-3K2 Orion
Can only be the faithful Orion, NZ4203
An airplane so special it has its own hangar! The P-3K Orion.
4 engines , only 3 generators , must be the p-3
Lockheed P-3k Orion
Lockheed P-3K Orion
Lockheed P-3K Orion ✈️ 😎
Apu = P3k
I don’t know planes but I’m guessing a fast one 🥰
Lockheed P3K-2 Orion NZ4203
Lockheed P-3k
Lockheed P-3
Orion
T6 Harvard / Texan
Orion 😍😍😍
P-3K Orion aircraft.
Lockheed P3K Orion
Ford Orion.
P-3
Lockheed P-3K2 Orion
Awwww too easy that's NZ4203, P 3K-2 Orion 😎
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HERC STORIES: Two of the first admirers to arrive during our Hercules Open Days last week were the Andrell Sisters.
No - they are not a girl band - but they could be - but they are a dynamic duo with RNZAF stories to tell.
Margi and Cathy worked in No.2 Hangar - where our C-130 now resides in style - from 1977 until 1980, so a visit to see the Herc in their old workplace brought the memories zooming back.
The sisters loved their jobs - offically they were known as Ground Scheduling Hands - but they regarded themselves as 'George's Angels' - working for Corporal George Russell in the Safety and Surface team at RNZAF Base Wigram.
"When we arrived we were shy and retiring but it brought us our of our shells,'' the sisters confided.
"Best years of our lives.''
Their favourite day was washing Wednesday when they had to collect all the overalls for a clean. If you meet the girls they will tell you why this was appealing.
Thanks for visiting your museum, sharing your memories, your humour and for your service!
#extraordinaryaircraft #c130 ... See MoreSee Less
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Went to school with both Cathi and Margie. I bet they have some stories to tell 😉
Cathi Andrell Margaret Andrell Margie Andrell
Nick Schrader
It was days of our lives working at Wigram lol
Watch the documentary here: youtu.be/Vu_gr3r_NtU?si=opP0GXBDIKfb7goi ... See MoreSee Less
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