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
GREAT ESCAPE REMEMBERED: Today we'll place poppies beside the names Johnny Pohe, Arnold Christensen and John Williams to mark the anniversary of the Great Escape from Stalag Luft III prison camp in occupied Poland 82 years ago.
The Great Escape is an extraordinary story of industriousness, ingenuity, bravery and in the end, shocking brutality.
On the night of 24 March 1944 76 camp prisoners made a daring escape via an elaborate tunnel network.
The escapees included five Kiwi airmen - Flying Officer Johnny Pohe, Flight Lieutenant Arnold Christensen, Squadron Leader John Williams DFC, Squadron Leader Leonard Trent VC and Flight Lieutenant Mick Shand DFC.
Johnny Pohe, Arnold Christensen and John Williams all managed to get away, but were recaptured within a few days.
The three kiwis were among 50 escapees executed by the Gestapo as retribution for the escape on the direct orders of Adolf Hitler.
Leonard Trent and Mick Shand had the good fortune – as it turned out – to be caught immediately and evaded the terrible retribution meted out to the other escapers. They both survived the war.
Today we remember their sacrifice.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
You can read their story here: airforcemuseum.co.nz/blog/remembering-the-kiwis-of-the-great-esca#RNZAFr#stalagluft3lu#greatescape194pe194 ... See MoreSee Less
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JUST QUIETLY.... Someone is celebrating a very special day 61st birthday tomorrow.
It'll be many happy returns to Charles - our C-130H - accepted into the RNZAF on 24 March 1965.
There will be a bit of pampering and partying - maybe a can of WD40 and some Jet A-1 and candles - with all safety precautions taken.
The C-130H fleet arrived in 1965 and gave extraordinary service to the RNZAF for the next 60 years.
Our Hercules Charles, NZ7001, offically retired on 19 February 2025 with a perfect landing at Wigram.
If you'd like to help build Charles, and our P-3K2 Orion - a new home you can support by clicking on our Home for Heroes campaign here.
airforcemuseum.co.nz/donate/
In the meantime, happy bir#c130hercules3#lockheed #lockheed ... See MoreSee Less
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INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE: It was an 18,000km trip for Charles Strohl to come and visit our de Havilland Vampire, and he wasn’t disappointed!
Charles is from Basel, Switzerland and he joined the Schweizer Luftwaffe, or Swiss Air Force, in 1984 for compulsory military training.
Back then the air force was still operating de Havilland Vampires, and that’s when Charles developed his affection for them.
Under Swiss law citizens in their 20s were required to serve in the military for 21 weeks initially, and then for three weeks a year after over an eight-year period.
In 1984 young Charles was an aviation photography fanatic (also known as a planespotter), so he combined his love of photography with his military service.
“In 1984 Vampires and Hunters were in service, although it was getting towards the end of their careers. I loved the sound of their engines, the way they started, and I really liked the Hunters. It was the perfect job for an aviation fan, I got to work with aircraft, and I had my camera with me at all times,’’ Charles said.
The Schwizer Luftwaffe operated 300 Vampires between 1946 and 1990, starting out as interceptors and ending up as trainers and drogue tugs. The RNZAF operated 58 Vampires from 1951 until 1972.
We always thought the RNZAF sweated its aircraft assets, but the Swiss certainly got a lot of bang for their buck on the Vampires!
Willkommen Charles – and thanks for your visit.
#swissairforce #dehavillandvampire ... See MoreSee Less
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We had one in the old Redwood town playground in Blenheim. It still had the seats n stick inside. 🥝🇳🇿👮♂️
When on holiday on Hasliberg in the 1950's we watched Vampires, Venoms and Hunters in Meiringen. I was surprised seeing a privately owned Vampire in Ardmore some years ago. Instrumentation was marked in French, with reference to Yverdon/Switzerland. Where is it today?
That's amazing.
Excellent Aircraft. Just DON'T FORGET to Defuel them if Exercise is Canceled after Refueling as if left Fully Loaded Undercarriage will Collapse and Belly the Aircraft after 4. to 6 hrs. Not Good.!!!🫣🫡
Was the Vampire the last RNZAF aircraft to "fire in anger" during the Malaysian Emergency?
Thanks Al
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