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.
Book a birthday party
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.
Learn More
Our Aircraft
Explore AircraftMore to explore
Each year our team of fantastic volunteers contribute thousands of hours to our museum.
And once a year we have a dinner to thank them, and to recognise those who have reached milestones in their service.
Some have clocked over more than 40 years!
At this year’s dinner we recognised:
Rhys Evans, Richard Parker and Bill Hunter for 20 years.
Ron Reeve, John Tucker, Terry Summers and Paul Frost for 10 years.
Geoff Church for five years.
Dave Horrell, John Field, Steve Goodman and Alex McHaffie for three years.
Their awards were handed out by Deputy Chief of Air Force and Museum Trust Board Member Air Commodore Peter Gibson.
Our volunteers do a whole lot of things to help. They look after visitors, conserveve, repair and rebuild our aircraft, and work in our archives in a range of specialist roles.
They come from all walks of life, from retired teachers to pilots, navigators and engineers. If you'd like to help go to:
airforcemuseum.co.nz/volunteer/
We had a great night, thanks to all our volunteers and their families for giving up so much time to help.
#thankyou #rnzaf ... See MoreSee Less
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Congratulations to everyone who reached a milestone, and to all of the volunteers who contribute so much to the success of the museum.
Appreciate all your time & Work 🙏🫡
Yes it was a awesome night
Congratulations well done 👏
THE FIRST 8 TODAY! We're very excited to let you know that we're hosting the New Zealand Primiere of the First 8 today at 10am.
Come and listen to 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.
This is a FREE event on in our Theatre.
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📢🚨MYSTERY SOLVED 📢🚨: Come on down Andrew McGill, winner of our latest mystery object competition.
The mystery object is the anti-collision beacon off the tail fin of our Lockheed C-130H Hercules.
The photo was cunningly taken before the tail was craned into position and put on display. The beacon was technically upside down in the photo to put you off the scent. Unless the Hercules was in a barrel roll at the time, which it wasn't.
Anyhoo - Andrew McGill wins an Air Force Museum of New Zealand roundel mug.
Please email communications@airforcemuseum.co.nz Andrew and we will fire up the Bristol Freighter and fly the mug out to your home address.
We're working on an even more fiendishly difficult mystery for nex#MysteryObjectte#wedonthaveacluet#impossiblepuzzleiblepuzzle ... See MoreSee Less
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That certainly is NOT the counter-rotating twim incandescent lamp, anti-collision beacon fitted to the tail fin of a C130-H(NZ) the last time I went up there to replace a bulb, back in 1987, when I was at 40 Sqn...
The old inverted Hercules tail fin trick!