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Ashburton Aviation Museum Belongs On Your Bucket List

Hands-On History

Just a few minutes off State Highway 1 in the South Island, lies one of New Zealand’s aviation treasures: the Ashburton Aviation Museum. With rare jets, volunteer passion, and the unusual ethos that you're allowed to touch the displays and explore the aircraft, this museum truly delivers for aviation enthusiasts, and it should be on everyone's bucket list.

During World War II Ashburton Airfield in Mid-Canterbury, served as a Royal New Zealand Air Force Elementary Flying Training School, sending more than 1,100 trainees overseas. The wartime tarmac, compass rose, and original tie-downs for Tiger Moths still remain on the site.

Nestled at the Airfield, the Ashburton Aviation Museum turned 50 years old in 2024, and what began as a meeting of local enthusiasts in a library quickly grew into a museum boasting over 40 aircraft in a sizable (and growing) facility.

Early days: the Harvard, fundraising, and hangar building

It started in October 1974 when a group of aviation-minded locals met in the Ashburton Library to talk about preserving local aviation history. By 1978, with only about NZ$150 in the bank, they managed to purchase a North American Harvard Mk IIa training aircraft from the RNZAF for $2,500— the result of a massive and very quick (four week) fundraising effort.

Soon after came hangar construction, helped largely by volunteer labour and grassroots fundraising—rallies, market stalls, sponsorship of concrete blocks, even selling Christmas hampers.

Growing collection: Jets, trainers, relics and rare types

Over the decades the collection has expanded to include military and civilian aircraft of many kinds: the only British Aerospace Harrier GR3 Jump-jet in the Southern Hemisphere, an A4 Skyhawk, a de Havilland Vampire, early gliders, microlights, and more. The Southern DC3 Trust’s ZK-AMY DC-3 is part of the museum’s operational and display story.

Visitors can explore cockpits (Harrier, Canberra, L-29 etc.), climb stairs, hang around under the airframes, and see aircraft as they were rather than perfectly polished objects.

The ethos: accessible, community-driven, hands-on

One striking feature of the museum is its no ropes policy: visitors are encouraged to touch and explore rather than just observe from afar. Cockpit tours are possible; ex-Air Force folks can see aircraft they worked on up close. Volunteers run workshops, school education programmes—including lessons in weather, navigation, electronics, flight mechanics.

Space, storage & the big plans

Despite the impressive assemblage, the museum is outgrowing its hangar space. Several aircraft are stored elsewhere, with wings detached or parts disassembled. To address this, a new large hangar (approx. 40 × 44 metres) is planned, along with expanded display-cabinet areas, function facilities, heating, AV systems, and more room for community events. These plans are ambitious, but are underway and the new hangar is expected to be open by the end of 2025.

Visiting details & what to expect

The museum is open from 1:00-3:00pm daily, with longer workshop-oriented hours from 9:30-3:00pm on Wednesdays & Saturdays. Entry price is around NZ$10 for adults, under-16s free. Exhibits include over 40 aircraft, from jets and helicopters to gliders and vintage trainers, plus large archive, photo and library collections.

A visit you’ll remember

For lovers of aviation, military history, or vintage technology, the Ashburton Aviation Museum offers something different: intimacy, authenticity, stories, volunteer spirit, and real connection to the machines. Whether you’re a Kiwi wanting to reconnect with domestic aviation history, an ex-serviceman, or a family looking for something inspiring, this museum deserves more recognition and you should make a point of calling in and visiting during your next South Island trip.

www.aviationmuseum.co.nz

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