What's on at Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Latest from the museum
Support
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.
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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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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
Explore AircraftMore to explore
❓MYSTERY OBJECT COMPETITION❓: Muh huh huh huh haaaaa!
You'll never get this one - not in a million years.
Tell us what this mysterious thing is (and we mean the red and yellow thing in the foreground, not the Skyhawk tail in the background) and which aircraft in our collection it belongs to, in the comments below and you'll go in the draw to win an Air Force Museum of New Zealand roundel mug.
Our roundel mugs are round with roundels and are having a moment just now.
Best of luck, you are going to need so much of it to get t#MysteryObjectte#wedonthaveacluet#impossiblepuzzleiblepuzzle ... See MoreSee Less
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Rebecca antenna on the Bristol freighter
I want to say it's someone from the skyhawk, I recognize it but I've got no clue what it is
Forbidden candy cane
200 mhz DME aerials. As to the aircraft it could either be the Devon or the Freighter.
Those are the drinking straws on a Catalina flying boat. When the Catalina lands on the water it can take a drink as flying is very thirsty work. This one may be tricky for some people as the Catalina is not on display and you must go on a (highly recommended) tour of the workshop to see it.
Looks like a guard so the striped masts don’t get broken off by guests.
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THE FIRST 8! We're very excited to let you know that we're hosting the First 8 today - it is free, inspiring and we'd love to see you here at 10am in our Theatre.
Come along to listen composer Alexandra Hope Watson talk about her work The First 8, and then see the recording of its premiere at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
This inspiring musical tells the untold story of the first eight women employed by the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) during World War II, led by Pauline Gower.
The First 8 explores the pioneering journey of these female pilots who overcame a doubting public and made history as they ferried Spitfires, Hurricanes and other aircraft across the United Kingdom.
They campaigned for equal treatment, ultimately winning the ATA’s landmark recognition as the first organisation in the UK to grant equal pay to women.
First 8 is being shown as part of our Curated Cinema series.
Time: 10am
Where: Air Force Museum of New Zealand Theatre
Address: 45 Harvard Avenue, Wigram, Christchurch
#first8 #curatedcinema ... See MoreSee Less
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Can I suggest including an film running time to the post. We went last week, and the film was 2 hours, on top of the 30 min intro, and intermission. A lot longer than expected. Great work and story though!
🚨📢GET THE KETTLE ON! WE HAVE A WINNER !!! 🚨📢
Actually we have bent the rules and we have two winners this week.
Top prize goes to Jason Robson who correctly idenitifed it as a vent off the Aermacchi MB-339CB.
The stylish, Italian-designed hot air vent in fact belongs to our beautfiul Macchi, NZ6460.
NZ6460 was the first Aermacchi to be assembled and test flown in 1991, and retired in 2001. It's a little Italian hotrod and a taonga in our collection.
This week we've given an honourable mention, and therefore a mug, to Eileen Stewart for spotting the ghost of Thomas the Tank Engine in the machine.
Get the kettle on Jason and Eileen! And then email communications@airforcemuseum.co.nz with your home address and we will fire up the Bristol Freighter and air drop the mugs to you.
They're our roundel mugs. They are round with roundels and are having a moment just now.
Thanks to everyone who took part.
We'd love to give mugs to all the other correct - and deliberately incorrect answers that made us laugh - but, unfortunately, we're not made of mugs.
Another competition next week, and this one is going to be technical, difficult, and virtually unsolvable. Only the first minds will get it.
Good luck - yo#MysteryObject n#wedonthaveacluey#impossiblepuzzleveaclue #impossiblepuzzle ... See MoreSee Less
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Just saying………..
I'm so glad the Thomas answer got a mug, nice recognition of her unparalleled powers of observation...
Awesome
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