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
🚨RNZAF ROVER TO THE RESCUE🚨: As we gear up to celebrate the 90th annniversary of the mighty Land Rover in 2028, we begin our countdown with a new occasional picture series.
🚨RNZAF ROVER TO THE RESCUE🚨 is a celebration of all the photos in our archive featuring Land Rovers on the way to help out in some form or other.
These oil-dispensing marvels of British engineering and workmanship have been witnesses to a lot of history, as our series will reveal.
In our season opener from 1960, a Land Rover lends a hand to transport North American Harvard NZ1058 from a rail carriage at Sockburn.
Where the Harvard was going, or where it had come from, is a mystery but one thing is beyond doubt - the Land Rover was built for this kind of thing.
#RNZAF #Sockburn #landrover #northamericanharvard #NZGR ... See MoreSee Less
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More news from our RNZAF outpost in England.
We've been delighted to be able to collaborate with Aerospace Bristol on this important project to restore the only surviving Bristol Freighter in Europe - and a RNZAF one to boot! ... See MoreSee Less
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I had an acquaintance in Wellington who owned a Bristol car. He used to send it to Bristol plane maintenance by a Bristol freighter in Blenheim to get tuned & tidied up once a year
I work at Aerospace Bristol, she was looking lovely in the sun yesterday
Nicely done Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Awesome
THE BOOK OF CHRIS: Sergeant Christopher Haliday dropped by to visit the training base he arrived at a short 50 years ago.
Back in April 1976, the young 17-year-old Aucklander hopped on a Bristol Freighter at Whenuapai for a luxury flight to Wigram to join a ‘eight-week wonder’ recruits’ course.
Looking at his class photo he observes there was not a lot to him in those days – and he really felt the cold at Wigram.
“I was so skinny that if I turned sideways, they reported me absent without leave,’’ he says.
Chills and weight issues aside, it was the start 21-year career and adventure as an avionics specialist in the RNZAF.
He made great friends and learned trade skills that set him up for life. Best of all he travelled all around the world – including ‘every island you can think of in the Pacific’, Canada, Singapore, the United States and Antarctica.
“Being back here made me realise what a colourful life it was. Entering at the time we did meant we got a huge amount of opportunity.’’
One particular job towards the end of his time stands out. While not making the best seller list, he did get asked to write a very important book – which became a suite of books.
After the RNZAF’s fleet of Skyhawks was given its new ‘Kahu’ avionics upgrade, he was given the job of writing the technical manuals.
“I asked for a camera and we contracted a draftsman, and we created an illustrated parts break down of every single part involved in Kahu. It became a suite of avionics books.’’
It was detailed work but that’s what RNZAF training was all about - close attention to detail and quality to hunt out faults in aircraft wherever they lurked.
“I realise now what a valuable set of skills I left with. Not only did they teach you to be good at fault finding, as you moved up the ranks you had to become a good trainer as well. You have to set the standards, you set out with the mindset that there’s a mistake and you’re going to find it. They were great skills for civvy street.’’
After he left the RNZAF, he went on to a career as a quality control manager in the pharmaceuticals industry using the skills he gained in the air force.
Now retired and living in Auckland, Chris returned to the Air Force Museum of New Zealand to catch up with volunteer guide Bob Janek, a fellow recruit from his course at Wigram.
They flew on the same Freighter and shared a barracks in 1976.
Chris is in the back row, second from right, in the course photo.
Thanks for your service to New Zealand, Sergeant Haliday, and for visiting your museum.
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I remember the Wigram Airman's barracks well. Uninsulated and a few little wax filled heaters that were throttled down so they were barely warm. Freezing in the winter but character building 😀
I remember Chris as a new Av Mech at 1 Sqdn way back when. This really makes me feel ancient (Les Billcliff)
Gidday Chris. Athol / Pops Corbett.
Hell I always thought that was the job of the Project guys at Woody, well done then.
A very interesting read.
It was awesome to reunite with Chris It's about 40 years since we were together so we are going to meet up again in September
Ahhhh Doc Haliday
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