RNZAF Ohakea

[Silver]

I visited the RNZAF Museum at Ohakea (North Island) last week.

The Museum building is composed of Badge displays, Engines, "Action" scene displays and a small 'cinema' inside a 737 mid-section fuselage - which has an action film of the RNZAF's Skyhawks on continous display - along with other RNZAF memorabilia.

The RNZAF's Combat Wing was disbanded within the last two years (as many here will know about) and involved a reduction in Air Force personnel of 340 - to the current figure of 2400 personnel.

Outside the building there is a Skyhawk (complete with missile pods, bombs etc) and a BAe Strikemaster on display.

The museum is alongside Ohakea AFB and it is possible to view any aircraft movements taking place when visiting.
(The only 'action' I saw was an Iroquois heli hovering over the base).


Incidentially, there is currently some debate here in the media about whether New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clarke should have a 'prime ministerial' jet. This debate started after her vehicle convoy was clocked doing 147k (National speed limit is 100k) on the way to 'an important event' in Christchurch.
(A Canadair Challenger jet is the favoured choice. She currently occassionally utilises the Air Forces King Airs.
The Air Force will probably operate the new aircraft, according to media reports).

Sounds familiar eh !  


(The New Zealand Army also has an excellent museum in Waoria - which I visited on the same day - with 3 tanks, several armoured cars and vehicles on display - along with many 'action scenes' from WW1 and WW2 - and other memorabilia).

Silver.

[Guinness]

Pictures availible Silver ??

Guinness

BTW is the movie ANZAC  on sale there on DVD or VHS.

I'm looking for tha one for years but can't find it here

[Silver]

Sorry Guinness, no pics - my camera battery had just packed in at the time  '>

Suffice to say that the museum was well organised and impressive - albeit on the small side (I reckon circa. half the size of the AC museum building).

I will keep a look out for that film for you.

Yours from the Southern Hemisphere,
Silver.

[202]

Silver

The RNZAF main museum outside Christchurch is said to be top class, unfortunately I missed while passing through there last autumn.  

Just to complete the trio of services -- the RNZN (Navy) have a small museum across the bay from Auckland -- their set up looks similar in scale to that of the Irish Naval Service.

Incidently, does anybody know if there is a museum accessible in Haulbowline, Irish naval headquarters

[ambaiste]

the Museum in Christchurch is well worth a visit, if only for the Huey & Skyhawk, was there last summer, also the warbirds in Wanaka near Queenstown.

[Silver]

Cheers guys.

I plan to see both the Christchurch museum and the Wanaka display (and perhaps the 'Warbirds over Wanaka' airshow in April !).

AFAIK, The RNZN has c. 11 ships.
Didn't see their musum in Auckland though.


It's interesting, a local tour guide in Auckland made derisory comments about the NZ Defence Forces e.g. "we have no air force", "we have old worn out ships" etc.

So it would seem the NZ DF's suffer from negative PR just like the Irish Defence Forces - even though you would expect the NZ DF's to have a high profile - after all they were involved in WW1, WW2, Korea, Vitenam, etc ?!!

[Silver]

There also seems to be a big interest here in aviation in general.

For example -

- A DC3 converted into a McDonalds in Lake Taupo
- A Russian Mil Mi heli on display outside a restaurant near Taupo
- And a Harvard Trainer on 'gate guardian' duty in a small town near Wellington (it also has a childs slide incorporated into it !'> )

[202]

Isn't there an ex-Irish Air Corps Avro Cadet (painted in its IAC colours) operating out of an airfield near Auckland. I tried to track it down while I was there but ran out of time. Worth following up if you are in that part of the world ...

[Silver]

Correct.
There is an ex-IAC Avro Cadet in NZ - I believe there was even some talk at one stage of the AC buying it ! ......... would be a great basis for an 'historic squadron' if they did get it !!

There is a pic of it on the front of a book by... (can't recall author or book just now

[pilatus]

the book is called WINGS OVER IRELAND by DONAL MCCARNON i believe

[Silver]

Cheers pilatus, thats the one !

I've just been to Air Force World in Christchurch and an excellent museum it is too !

[202]

Silver, glad you made it the RNZAF museum in Christchurch which, by all accounts is probably the best in NZ and Aus. I was at the RAAF museum in Point Cook and it was reasonably good but not brilliant.

As I say it would be really worth sourcing the status in NZ of the Avro Cadet because it looked superb painted in IAC colours.