RNZAF Museum - Ohakea.

[corsair67]

Just wondering how many of you have been to the Ohakea wing of the RNZAF Museum, and what you thought of the collection there?

I would like to pay a visit to Ohakea next year, so I was just curious to know what your views are.

Cheers!

[Bruce]

Its quite a good little museum, but is more of a "Taster" for the main museum at Wigram. Theres a Skyhawk and Strikemaster on dispaly outside, but no other complete machines. Has a good collection of engines, models and other memorabilia and a number of excellent hands - on exhibits - such as a strikemaster wing set up to display control systems etc.
I wouldnt make it the focus of your visit to NZ, but worth spending an hour or two at.

[corsair67]

Thanks for that, Bruce. I was interested because I would like to do an aviation junkie's tour of the North Island next year and thought that it'd be good to have a look at Ohakea.

MoTaT is also on the list, even though it may make me cry when I think of how badly they used to care for their aircraft!

Are there any other aviation museums/collections worth looking at?

[Dave Homewood]

In Auckland there's...
Ardmore of course. And Dairy Flat (CAF, Stan Smith's Colection and just down the road is the Subritzky collection - it would, pay to pre-arrange each of the latter two. I could assist if you need contacts)

Also GAPS at Darton Field, Gisborne. Go there and take photos for us all to see - Avenger, C47, Lodestar, and much more.

As for Ohakea, I first visited in 1991 when it was open only to service people as it was right in the heart of the base and innacessable to public. By the time I was posted to OH in 1993 it had moved out to the road and gone public.

It has a great collection of artifacts, lots of engines and bits of aircraft from archealogical sites. And some brilliant photos.

But you must rememebr it is a base museum, it celebrates the history of Ohakea, not the RNZAF as a whole. It was set up and run initially by one man, who's no longer with the museum, or us sadly. I think his name was Peter Strugnell from memory. When the museum was shifted, lock stock and barrel (it's part of an old H Block) it was done up nicely and gained a C47, which is now in Gisborne.

The RNZAF Museum at Wigram got rather upset because Ohakea then decided to tout itself as The RNZAF Museum Ohakea Branch, and then The RNZAF Museum! It clearly is not. It's a base museum, end of story. A good base museum though. The best exhibit I recall was a photo of the 1970's base commander lying on the airfield with his leg going the wrong way at the knee, having just successfully completed our first Skyhawk ejection. First man on the scene was an RNZAF Photographer who, naturally, did his job of capturing the scene on film before going to the Gp Capt's aid! I had to laugh. He didn't look best pleased.

[corsair67]

Thanks Dave, that's given me some food for thought; but I might not be able to do it all in one trip.

Typical, you expect me to come across the Tasman to take photos of GAPS for you guys! Aren't you all a wee bit closer to Gisborne than I am?

[Dave Homewood]

Well, you said you were touring the North Island... just an interesting option I guess, nice place over on the coast

[Bruce]

Give us a call when passing between Auckland and Ohakea (and Gisborne!) I'll show you my plane.
Another little museum with a good aviation section is the Taranaki Aviation and Transport museum. The only thing with this one is check its opening days / times before committing to a trip to it. has some amazing stuff about Edgar Brewster's flying flea (and multi plane wings) and various Mt Egmont wrecks. Has a fair chunk of Harvard too iirc.
Make sure you also put the new Classic Flyers museum in Tauranga on your list as well.

[corsair67]

Thanks again for all your help, guys. I will certainly have to spend a bit of time in the North Island, not only to see the museums, but also to have a good look around anyway as I haven't seen a lot of that part of New Zealand.

Bruce, I'd love to see your plane, and I'll even shout you a beer!

[Dave Homewood]

Well if you're coming to Cambridge, look me up to mate.

[corsair67]

What are the pubs like in Cambridge, then?

[Dave Homewood]

Fantastic - I wouldn't live here otherwise, hehe

We have about 15 pubs in this small hamlet

[Bruce]

how about this to fit maximum aeroplanes in minimum time -just a suggestion of course....
Fly in auckland, get a rental car, check out Dairy flat, whenuapai Motat and ardmore, travel via the magnificent metropolis of Cambridge to Tauranga - check the museum there, travel via Rotorua (try a floatplane flight - its awesome!) to Taupo, home of big helicopters and DC3 MacDonalds. then either east to Gisborne and back to Taupo,( or go from Rotorua around the cape to Gisborne, then to Taupo) or carry on down to the Waiouru Army museum and the Ohakea museum. Cut through the Manawatu Gorge to Masterton to check out the Corsair and P40 etc, then down to wellington to see Te Papa, or just watch the airliners in the crosswind at Rongotai. You could fly out of Wellington or backtrack back up the country via New Plymouth or whatever. You could fly direct into Hamilton with Freedom Air as a further option.
Travel advice free courtesy of the "Wings over Cambridge" Travel consultancy!

[corsair67]

Cambridge sounds like my kind of town! I just hope they have Monteiths on tap!

I seriously need to sit down and plan this trip to the North Island, I think. Drinking beer and looking at aircraft (in the moments that I'm not drinking beer!) sounds bloody good.

[Dave Homewood]

We do have Monteiths, yes, but be aware it's the nasty fake Auckland version, not the lovely handcrafted Greymouth version. I went to the real brewery last year, that tour is awesome, seeing beer made the traditional way, and the coal fires that run the brewery. A must see (they only one in that town!)

Isn't there one of those big Russian logging helicopters parked as an ornament beside SH1 somewhere around Tokoroa or Putaruru too? Or is it no longer there?

[Dave Homewood]

Nearby Hamilton also offers the pleasures of a plastic Spitfire in the park. The world's first Turbo Fletcher in the Waikato Museum (formerly Rukuhia's Gate Guard), and apparently the James Aviation Tiger Moth and C47 are at Mystery Creek, though I've never been to see those two despite being 5 mins from Cambridge! Shameful.