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
PIONEER CHENG: Set the calendar back to January 1962, and a young aviator called Soon Lian Cheng landed at Christchurch Airport aboard an RNZAF Devon, after a five-day trip from Kuala Lumpur.
He and his colleague Buang Ahmad were the first Malayan pilots on a training exchange with the RNZAF, learning their trade in the mighty North American Harvards at RNZAF Station Wigram.
Cheng, who was back this week for a class reunion with No. 36 Pilots’ Course, recalls the flight had to divert that day because it couldn’t land at Wigram for a very special reason.
“We had to land at Harewood because Stirling Moss was racing around Wigram, competing in the Lady Wigram Trophy.’’
He was welcomed at No. 2 Mess – where beer was given out in flagons - and sent out to watch the racing. Stirling Moss won in his Lotus 21.
It was a fine start to a year-long adventure for Cheng, and the beginning of a long career in the Royal Malaysian Air Force. He retired in 1996 as a Brigadier General.
After completing his training in New Zealand, he went on to fly Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneers in the confrontation with Indonesia.
Since retiring he has been a regular visitor to Christchurch for reunions and loves catching up with his Kiwi mates from No. 36.
After 63 years there have been a lot of reunions, and he’s already planning to be at the next one.
He's in the front row, far left in the photo. His colleague Buang, far right, was sadly killed a few years later in an accident.
Welcome home sir! ... See MoreSee Less
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❓MYSTERY OBJECT COMPETITION ❓: Righto aviation experts, can you tell us what this mysterious thing is and which aircraft it belongs to?
Bet you can't.
Put your answers in the comments below and you'll go in the draw to win an Air Force Museum of New Zealand roundel mug.
They are round with roundels and are perfect for every occasion.
Goo#MysteryObjectte#wedonthaveacluet#impossiblepuzzleiblepuzzle ... See MoreSee Less
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it is a trick photo. it is enlarged. it’s actually a tea leaf strainer, installed on all aircraft because we all know how air force crew like to have only the best tea on their flights. which they drink form mugs with air force rounders on them.
Oooh this one's easy, extra large in-flight dominoes ✅
That's the built in connect four game so the crew don't get bored on flights. It's a trick question because they are installed on every one of our planes that have at least two crew. Fun Fact: sometimes they are installed on the outside of planes because crews have gotten bored playing the same game for decades so an element of danger was added to make it exciting again. I can't wait to drink coffee out of my new mug! 😍😅
It’s the side of a laundry basket, no?
Someone subscribes to the Colin Chapman school of performance enhancement. Build in lightness.
I think we may need a reverse competition for best wrong answer.....
Merlin P-51 alternate air inlet on the lower cowl.
Dive brake on a Dauntless 😄
Filtered air intake for the engine on a P51 mustang.
It's a quarter marker for the rump of a show horse.
P3 flare / chaff bucket cover?
Bit like sonobuoy ejection ports but wrong orientation given the hint of an undercarriage at the bottom of the photo.
P-51 Mustang carburetor air filter induction cover
Coffee Cup holders for extra long flights
Chin cowling on a P51
I'm going with the auxiliary air intake on a P-51.
P3B, Ejection ports for Photo-flash cartridges.
Vents on the North American Harvard MKIII?
Cowling vents on the P-51D Mustang. So sexy
Must be an old a/c as it has dzus fasteners.
Air filter intake on a P51 mustang
Is it the cessna
It’s the starboard side Carburettor Filter Access panel of the a P51-D Mustang. Footnote: some were replaced with a solid panel for winter running.
An external air intake from the Beechcraft T-6C Texan?
Could be someone's date.
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GOING BOEING: Fresh in from Seattle, Washington, we introduce Edward Lowe!
Edward is a retired Boeing aircraft mechanic who dropped by as part of his itinerary for his third holiday to New Zealand.
He worked for the Seattle aircraft manufacturer for 28 years before his retirement.
Starting with lowest numbers first, Edward worked on the 737, 747, 767 and 787 aircraft lines at the Everett factory, one of the world’s largest buildings.
He stopped by to inspect our Boeing 727 undercarriage, a model he did not build but he’d ‘walked underneath’ a few 727s in his time.
His favourite model over all those years?
The 787 Dreamliner.
“They’re so big, so comfortable and so much went into them, he says.
“When you work on just one section of an airliner each day you get very focussed on it. But then you look up and look around there’s always a real sense of wonder about them – especially the Dreamliner and the 747.’’
Edward has aviation running in his veins, both he and his wife are private pilots and fly a Cessna.
They love New Zealand and what better thing for pilots to do on holiday than visit an aviation museum?
Kia ora and thanks for visiting our museum.
#seattle #boeing #787dreamliner ... See MoreSee Less
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Very cool 😎 Now please display the rest of Your B727 , you have stored away ! Cheers !
Its a landing gear, not undercarriage