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
WHO CLIPPED YOUR WINGS? One of the common questions our guides get from visitors is 'why did you clip the wings on your Supermarine Spitfire?'
The Spitfire is known for many things, chief of which was its graceful silhouette with beautiful elliptical wings.
More than 20,000 Spitfires were built, and the design was constantly refined to meet the challenges of enemy aircraft.
While elliptical wings were good for lift at higher altitudes, they had shortcomings at lower level, especially when they came up against more nimble German fighters.
This was fixed with a wing clip either side.
By shortening the elliptical wings by 1.2m on each side to remove the distinctive wing tips, the Spitfire’s surface wing area is reduced . The aircraft was more easily manoeuvred at lower levels, and the modification made it perfect for ground attack purposes in North Africa and in Europe.
Clipped wings were first introduced on some versions of the Mk V Spitfire*, which was in production from 1941 until 1943.
Our Spitfire TE288 is a Mk XVIE version** – a much later version of the aircraft built in May 1945 – and it came with the clipped wing option.
*If you aren't Roman or British, that is a Mark 5.
**Mark 16E.
#supermarinespitfire #spitfire #thatspitfirebird ... See MoreSee Less
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"The clipped wing on the LF XVIE made the aircraft a delight to reef about at low level. It was easily the most offensively-optimised Spitfire I ever flew, and the Packard Merlin was a great engine for the job." Flt Lt Raymond Baxter (Spitfire – Flying Legend)
I am neither Roman nor British, but I do undestand the Roman numbering scheme for the Spitfire.
YOU CAN'T PARK THERE MATE: Here's a Fleet Air Arm Seafire after crashing on the flight deck of HMS Indefatigable after a parking/landing snafu.
Landing a Seafire on a tiny, rolling landing deck at sea must be no mean feat, so thre is no judgment here!
The aircraft is from either No. 887 Squadron or No. 894 Squadron.
The photo, reference number 2010-344.79, is from the personal collection of Bruce Petrie, a New Zealand pilot serving in the Fleet Air Arm.
His significant photo collection is a fantastic resource, and you can access it here:
fotoweb.airforcemuseum.co.nz/fotoweb/archives/5023-Bruce-Petrie-personal-col#youcantparktherematek#supermarineseafirei#hmsindefatiguablefatiguable ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
Trusty old Tarpon (Avenger) saves the day ….. what a catch!
Interesting way to park… you’ll be able to get more aircraft on the deck parking like that! 👍🏾👍🏾
They gave me a Seafire to beat up the fleet.....
whopsies
FREE SCARVES FOR VETS: We’ve got some free woolly scarves* to give away to veterans thanks to our friends at Operation Wrapped in Remembrance.
Yes – you read it correctly!
Come along to the Air Force Museum and tell us your service story, and we’ll give you a free scarf knitting with love by the Wrapped in Remembrance team.
#OperationWrappedinRemembrance is a community initiative created by Ashburton good sort Dellwyn Moylan to honour military veterans by knitting, crocheting, or weaving scarves and other warm items.
We’re a drop off-point for knitting – and now we’re a distributor.
A huge thank you to Dellwyn and thanks to those amazing crafters who put these beautiful scarves together.
*While stocks last. Fiendishly handsome volunteer guides Bob, Geoff, Chris and John are not included in this offer.
#veteransaffairs #operationwrappedinremembrance ... See MoreSee Less
Comment on Facebook
It's great to be able to distribute our scarves to veterans and current service personnel through places like the Air Force Museum of New Zealand . Thanks for being a collection depot and helping pass the scarves on to service men and women, current and former. If you would like to be part of Operation Wrapped in Remembrance and knit, weave or crochet a beanie, lap blanket, scarf, hat or baby blanket or sew quilts or journal covers we'd welcome you. Contact Dellwyn - OpWiR2025@outlook.com or go to our Facebook page Operation Wrapped in Remembrance
What a lovely idea
If you visit the Air Force Museum of New Zealand and your a veteran or current service person let the staff know and receive your free Operation Wrapped in Remembrance scarf as a token of our appreciation for your service.
Thay are very warm