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.
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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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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.
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Our Aircraft
Explore AircraftMore to explore
JAMIE CLARK dropped by this week to check on the family legacy – granddad’s Lockheed Hudson NZ2013.
Jamie grew up spending most of his spare time on his grandfather Jimmy Clark’s farm at Alma, near Oamaru.
Jimmy was a former RNZAF mechanic and quite the collector.
Somehow, and Jamie still wonders how, Jimmy managed to drag the entire Lockheed Hudson from Marlborough to North Otago on a home-made trailer after it was sold in 1949.
Jimmy converted the Hudson into a chicken coop and repurposed a whole lot of its systems into handy farm equipment.
Jamie has fond memories of Jimmy, his namesake: “He was incredibly clever. He built a saw using hydraulic rams taken off the Hudson. He was a neat granddad – I used to follow him around wearing his old air force jacket.’’
The Hudson fuselage rested on the ground so his chooks could troop up into their flash Lockheed coop via the gunner’s compartment.
And young Jamie loved nothing better than climbing in the gun turret.
Jimmy had a whole lot of sheds – about 30 in all, full of RNZAF and Army equipment, ranging from drawers and surplus parts to Bren gun carriers and aircraft engines.
“He needed all the sheds so he could hide what he’d bought from grandma,’’ Jamie jokes.
The Hudson arrived at our museum in 1985, and our volunteers spent thousands of hours restoring it into pristine condition.
Thanks for visiting Jamie, and for the Clark legacy!
#rnzaf #lockheedhudsonbomber ... See MoreSee Less
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KEA IN THE WILD! Come along this weekend to see something stratospheric!
The Kea Atmos 1a is a solar-powered stratospheric aircraft developed by Christchurch's Kea Aerospace and it is on display at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand this weekend.
The Kea Atmos was designed to fly dawn to dusk missions of up to around 16 hours duration at up to 65,000 feet.
It is on display in our Aircraft Hall - just follow your nose past the C-47 Dakota to the Spitfire - if you get to the North American Mustang you've gone too far.
Come and see the future of aerospace - FREE!
We are open from 9.30am Saturday and SundayKea Aerospace Ae#keaatmos
#keaaerospaceaaerospace ... See MoreSee Less
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Oh wow!! How fabulous Air Force Museum of New Zealand
TEMPORARY EXHIBITION SPACE CLOSURE TODAY: We wanted you to let know that access to our Aircraft Hall and a portion of our Thérèse Angelo Wing will be restricted today to allow for the set up for special events.
We're sorry for any inconvenience - but these events are necessary to allow us to fund the museum - and help go towards our museum expansion.
The good news is there is still plenty to do. All other galleries, and our new Tall Tails exhibition, will be operating as normal.
This includes the Mighty Hercules, Insights, and Victory exhibitions.
And our Contact Cafe is open for delicious coffee and cheese scones.
Behind-the-scenes tours will be free, and there is no charge for international visitors today.
Thanks for your patience and support. ... See MoreSee Less
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