Wanaka Sunday show - Anson and Harvard

We saw these two put on a good practice display on Friday and were pleased to be seated at theshow in time to catch their display on Sunday against the low early morning sun.

RNZAF Museum

Probably the equivalent to Hendon in the UK this is the national museum to the RNZAF. It is to be found in Christchurch and is free to enter. The collection is not as extensive as some UK museums but has some interesting airframes and other displays. Unfortunately when we visited some aircraft had been moved off dispaly to make space for an event but it was still a good visit. The main display area has variable lighting designed to reflect different times of the day which the other half thought was very effective although it can make photography a little challenging when 'night' suddenly falls.

Omaka WWII Collection

This element of the museum goes under the name of 'Dangerous Skies'. Many of the airframes are highly original including the P40 and Mosquito from the estate of the late John Smith. After being hidden away in a barn for decades the Mosquito has been restored to ground running condition. The Fw190 is the prototype Flug Werk remanufacture from 20 years ago and the Stuka appears to be a replica.

Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre

The museum at Omaka in the south island of New Zealand comprises a WWI hangar and a WWII hangar. We wnt in to the WWI exhibition first so I will start with that. The collection id actually entitled 'Knights of the Sky' and is the personal collection of film maker sir Peter Jackson. There is a lot of rare memorabilia but also many airframes. Several of these are replicas, some airworthy, some in interesting dioramas and some original. It was a fascinating place and well worth a visit.