Air Force Museum of New Zealand

The Air Force Museum of New Zealand in Christchurch holds aircraft, engines, uniforms, documents, and photographs that tell the story of aerial operations over many decades. The collection includes restored planes positioned throughout the facilities, alongside detailed records and personal items that explain what crews actually experienced during their missions.

The museum began as the Royal New Zealand Air Force Historical Centre at Wigram Base in 1976 and became an independent institution in 1987. It grew from its origins on a former airfield where squadrons actually operated, preserving machines and records from decades of evolving aviation technology and changing military roles.

The collection reflects the everyday lives and roles of New Zealand aviators through personal items, uniforms, and crew records from squadrons that operated locally and abroad. Walking through the displays, you notice how these fliers became part of larger military efforts across different regions and time periods.

The facility sits on the grounds of the former Wigram airfield and visitors can walk through outdoor areas with aircraft and indoor exhibition spaces at their own pace. The layout allows you to see both planes in open areas and detailed displays in covered sections, so plan your visit depending on weather and how long you want to spend in each area.

The collection holds over one million objects, including a fully restored Airspeed Oxford aircraft and a Mosquito flight simulator where visitors can experience what a pilot encountered. This scale of preservation and the working simulator make it an unusual place where aviation history becomes something you can actually try yourself.