What's on at Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Latest from the museum
Latest Exhibition
Defence Photographers
This brand-new exhibition features 40 stunning images from the portfolios of our eight New Zealand Defence Force photographers.
The exhibition also features the story of photography as a trade in the RNZAF, which dates back to 1929, and a display of historic cameras taken from our collection.
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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
🚨📢❗GET THE KETTLE ON, WE HAVE A WINNER! 🚨📢❗Take a bow Jen Dabney, winner of our latest Mystery Airfield competition.
It was indeed RNZAF Station Rukuhia - we thought the Waikato fog might have been a giveaway!
These days the perfectly positioned airfield near the Waikato River is the mighty Hamilton International Airport, where the big jet engines roar (to paraphrase Susan Raye's 1971 hit tune).
Well done Jen and to everyone who got it right.
We will fire up the Bristol Freighter and fly your exclusive Air Force Museum of New Zealand roundel mug out to you Jen - you just need to email communications@airforcemuseum.co.nz and give us your details.
We are cooking up a trickier one for next week, stay sharp everyon#mysteryairfieldfi#RNZAFr#HamiltonAirportrp#mysteryairfieldfield ... See MoreSee Less
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ESCAPER’S ARCHIVES: Tony Woodroofe dropped by this week to donate a treasure trove belonging to the RNZAF’s most successfully escape artist.
Tony is the son of Gordon ‘Woody’ Woodroofe, who won the Military Medal for his successful escape from a Stalag VIII B working party in occupied Poland.
Back in August 1944, using false documents and a civilian outfit, Woody made his way to Sweden and then back to Britain.
He was the only New Zealander to successfully escape from a German Prisoner of War (POW) camp and score a ‘home run’ back to Britain, and one of only 34 RAF POWs (out of 10,000) to achieve the same.
Tony says his dad’s success as an escape artist was due to his extroverted nature and sharp brain.
“He was a born actor,'' Tony says. "He had the gift of the gab – he was quick thinking and everyone loved him. He could talk, and talk, and talk.’’
However, Woody’s years as a prisoner came at a price.
Tony remembers his dad suffering from nightmares and having trouble sleeping.
Ironically it was being caught in an American bomb raid while on the run that affected him most.
Woody settled down to farm and raise a family back in New Zealand, and he eventually found his calling as an insurance broker – a job well suited to his people skills.
After he retired and sold his dairy farm near Auckland, Woody was able to dedicate his time to revisiting Europe and meticulously retracing his escape – turning it into Get A Way – his autobiography.
Luckily for us Woody was a dedicated record keeper and so was his sister Tui – who kept all Woody’s letters from his years as a prisoner.
This week Tony flew from Auckland to donate another 12kg – yes 12kg – of papers documenting Woody’s exploits.
The beret and shoes from Woody’s escape outfit are on display in our Horizon to Horizon Gallery.
Woody trained as a teacher before joining the RNZAF for pilot training. He died in 2000, just short of 80 years old, after a long and successful life telling his story.
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Suggest that you edit the piece re the book from 'Get A Way' to 'GeTaWay or 'Getaway' - it makes it easier for Googling details about the book.
What a treasure trove of information that must be. His book is excellent. One note, he was awarded the Military Medal. He did not 'win' it. It was not a sporting competition.
Great story 👏
FREE BEHIND-THE-SCENES TOURS TODAY! We’ve got a busy weekend ahead with large events planned so we’ve had to reshuffle our aircraft.
We’re open as usual from 9.30am until 4.30pm - but some of your favourites may be off display.
However, these, including the Spitfire, Kittyhawk, Vampire and Devon will be able to be seen on our Behind-the-Scenes tours – just in a different place.
So, to make sure no one is disappointed, we’re making our Behind-the-Scenes tours FREE (normally $5) over the weekend.
The tours take up to an hour and will take you out the back to our special wonderland – with a commentary from our experienced guides.
The Air Force Museum of New Zealand is run by a not-for-profit trust.
By holding events in our large spaces, we can subsidise the work we do to stay free and care for our collection.
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Is this also on tomorrow?