What's on at Air Force Museum of New Zealand
Latest from the museum
Latest 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
📢🚨WHOOP WHOOP - GET THE KETTLE ON - WE HAVE A WINNER!📢🚨: Colin Farley is this week's mug-winning genius.
Colin correctly identified the mystery control column was from a De Havilland Devon.
These magnificent machines first arrived in 1948 and the air force operated 30 of them for 33 years.
They were used for everything from VIP duties to navigation trainers. NZ1821, pictured, is the Devon that rules them all thanks to ts own special paint job in the colours of the Wigram base commander.
Colin, we hope this prized coffee mug makes your world complete! May your Nescafe be tastier, andf your Bell tea make you feel more alive.
Please email communications@airforcemuseum.co.nz and we will fire up the Devon and fly the mug out to you. If those beautiful six cylinder Gipsy Queens do not start, we will courier it.
A new mystery awaits next we#MysteryObjectbj#wedonthaveacluea#ImpossiblePuzzleuzzle ... See MoreSee Less
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THE UTE OF THE SKY! If you haven't seen it, you've missed out!
Here's our tribute to the RNZAF's retired fleet of five C-130H (NZ) Hercules aircraft, playing now upstairs in our Mighty Hercules exhibition.
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Watched it start to finish on last visit. C130 is an amazing aircraft
The only plane where as a passenger you could find the most comfortable spot on the cargo, stretch out and go to sleep
Buck, think i was on that return trip. I read 2 wilbur smith novels sitting/ lying on top of a big wooden crate. It was 18 hrs flying home from singapore.
Had the joy of being a passenger in these often. Foster father ex Air Force and the C130s were often used on SATS flights on a Monday end Friday moving Defense Force Staff between bases,
Has one been kept for the museum?
Longest trip I did as pax was after a Vanguard Exercise with the Skyhawks in Singapore. We flew from Darwin to Ohakea direct ,10hrs 59 mins!! The Herc was packed with the spare Skyhawk Engine,spares boxes,toolboards,not a lot of room to stretch!
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🚨RNZAF ROVER TO THE RESCUE🚨: When your De Havilland Vampire needs a tow, who are you going to call?
🚨RNZAF ROVER TO THE RESCUE🚨
A Taranaki Landy stepped up to tow Vampire NZ5710 at New Plymouth airport during No. 75 Squadron's Exercise Kea Claw in 1969.
RNZAF Rover to the Rescue is our tribute to all the photos in our archive featuring Land Rovers on the way to help out in some form or other.
These oil-dispensing marvels of British engineering and workmanship have been witnesses to a lot of history, and we think the world should know what these trusty green heroes d#RNZAFr#newplymouthairportrp#landroverrover ... See MoreSee Less
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We have this fine beast representing the community, more from the luxury emergency end of the Land Rover spectrum though.
I recall at Woodbourne in the late 70's we had to reposition an Andover on the tarmac. There were no tugs available, so my Sgt told me to go down to MT and sign out a Landrover. It didn't have any trouble moving the Andover, but it was a different story stopping it. The first time I hit the brakes the rear of the Landrover lifted 3 feet off the ground.
T11 mk 55 Vampire
My Audi did that better! Regular tug
Bring the Rover over.......
There isa Vampire here in New Plymouth- you know when it is flying usually in the summer.
I remember at the end of 1980 at Woodbourne watching the Base Commander getting carted around in an open top Landrover to judge the Bar competition. I think he was enjoying some of the free samples on offer at each bar.
Ah brings back so many memories about servicing those and the battles I had with them. Especially the cracker stacker ones. They had so much fun chasing shellfish out at the range. Salt water goes well with all the aluminium floor panels and mild Steel 7/16 bolts and nuts. Of how many axles snapped. Did you know the short axle was more expensive than the longer one.
Must have been about the time that airport opened ?
Hmmm seems like yesterday...I was there for that exercise
I drove one, a soft top short wheeled base one from Ohakea to Kaitaia . Convoy lead. The Land Rover kept speeding up! Noisey trip.
Do you have any RNZAF Land Rovers in your collection? I recently saw the RAF have some preserved boats and other equipment
Ahhh, the old pull start...
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