Aviation Museums
and airworthy collections
Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT)
MOTAT 2 - the Sir Keith Park Memorial Aviation Collection
805 Great North Rd & Meola Rd, Western Springs, Auckland 1022
Date of visit: 21st February 2017
MOTAT, Auckland's Museum of Transport and Technology, is New Zealand's largest transport, technology and social history museum, spread across 40 acres. MOTAT 2, housing their Aviation Collection, is located at Meola Road or a short tram ride from MOTAT Great North Rd. The Aviation Display Hall hosts a large collection of recreational, topdressing (aerial application of fertilisers), commercial and military aircraft that celebrate the evolution of New Zealand's aviation since February 1911 when Vivian Walsh achieved sustained and controlled flight in a British Howard Wright biplane.
The Blister Hanger, located outside behind the Aviation Display Hall, houses the various restoration projects currently underway (not open during my visit).
Aermacchi MB-339CB
NZ6466 / cn 6797/170. 1 of 18 used by No. 14 Squadron RNZAF between 1991 and 2002
AESL Victa Airtourer 115
ZK-CXU / 'Miss Jacy' / cn 521
Cliff Tait round-the-world flight 12th May 1969
Auster J/1B Aiglet
NZ1708 / ZK-BWH / cn 3103
Avro 683 Lancaster Bomber B Mk VII
NX665 converted to B Mk III configuration by New Zealand Bomber Command Association members at MOTAT
Beech AT-11 Kansan
ZK-AHO ‘Manu Ruuri’ ('Survey Bird') / cn 3691
Piet van Asch of New Zealand Aerial Mapping Ltd leased and later bought the aircraft for aerial mapping
Cessna A188 Agwagon
ZK-COO / cn A188-0024 (ex N9804V)
Commonwealth Aircraft Ceres B
ZK-BPU
Curtiss P-40E-1 Kittyhawk
NZ3039 / cn 20218 / ex 41-36385, ex RAF EV131 (composite airframe including parts of NZ3039).
NZ3039 was manufactured by Curtiss-Wright at Buffalo for a UK order but was diverted to NZ in 1942 where it served with the RNZAF.
de Havilland DH 82A Tiger Moth
NZ775 / 76 / cn 83202
MOTAT has two composite Tiger Moths restored and presented by the Manawatu Aerial Top Dressing Company presented as Aircraft Services topdresser ZK-ANN, complete with an early loading machine (built from ZK-AIN, with some parts from ZK-BJH)
de Havilland DH 83C Fox Moth
This is a Replica of ZK-AEK (which crashed at the Franz Josef Glacier in 1943 whilst carrying out a scenic flight) and uses the original fuselage of ZK-APT. The original is still airworthy in Canada as CF-YBM.
de Havilland DH 89A Dragon Rapide
ZK-AHS ‘Mokai’ / cn 6423 (ex- ZK-AGT / ex- RNZAF NZ558). Built 1938.
Flew with Air Travel (NZ) Ltd, Cook Strait Airways and New Zealand National Airways Corporation (in which colours it is now depicted).
de Havilland DH 98 Mosquito T Mk 43
Built by DH Australia as a DH-98 FB.40 (RAAF A52-19), but then converted to a T.43 (A52-1053), before being transferred to RNZAF as NZ2305.
de Havilland DH 100 Vampire FB Mk 9
WR202 - Flew with 14 Squadron RNZAF
de Havilland DH 104 Devon C.1
NZ1813 / cn 04396
Started out in transport and communications being used for search and rescue operations and photographic reconnaissance, and in 1961 as a trainer at the Air Navigation School. Retired 1981 to become an instructional airframe for the Technical Training School in Woodbourne.
Douglas A-4K Skyhawk
NZ6206 / cn 14089
Douglas C-47 Dakota
ZK-BQK served with the RNZAF before flying with the New Zealand National Airways Corporation (NAC).
Everson Brothers Gyrocopter
Aerodyne (glider helicopter) towed by car, built by Ron and Ernie Everson 1962.
Whilst it did achieve flight it never received official air worthiness.
Flagor Sky Scooter
ZK-EYL / cn AACA/367/001 home built
Fletcher FU 24
ZK-CTZ / cn 120
First Fletcher aircraft fitted with a turbine engine. Fletcher's were used for for topdressing operations around New Zealand.
Gere Sports Biplane
Home built designed by George ‘Bud’ Gere in the 1930's
Grumman TBF-1C Avenger
NZ2527 / cn 5625
1 of the last 3 Avengers to be used by the RNZAF as a target tug in the 1950s.
Removed and subsequently restored by MOTAT volunteers in the 1970's from a playground in Kuirau Park.
Hawker Hurricane
P3854 / ‘OK-1’, painted to represent 1 of the 2 Hurricanes used by Air Vice Marshal Keith Park, AOC 11 Group Fighter Command, 1940
Fibreglass replica
Link Trainer
gifted by the RNZAF and in working condition.
Lockheed 10A Electra
ZK-AFD / cn 1095
Lockheed Hudson GR Mk III
NZ2031 / cn 3854
A RNZAF Hudson was the first RNZAF aircraft to see combat in the Pacific. 94 were used by the RNZAF from 1941 onwards.
Lockheed RB-34-VE Lexington Mk 2 (PV-1 Ventura)
NZ4600 / cn 4773 (awaiting outside for completion of its restoration)
Mignet HM-14 ‘Pou de Ciel’ (‘Flying Flea’)
ZM-AAA
Built by Hawke Aircraft Supplies at Waipukurau in Hawke’s Bay, powered by a Douglas Dryad engine. Attempts to fly failed as it was underpowered.
Miles M.14A Hawk Trainer 3
ZK-AYW / 779 - In the shadow of the Short Solent! / ex- G-AMMC
Restored in 2012-13 and finished in the colours it carried when flying in New Zealand, after many years in its RAF colour scheme.
Miles M65 Gemini Mk 1a
ZK-ANT / cn 6322 - imported by the Wellington Aero Club
North American NA-88 / AT-6 Harvard Mk 2
NZ944 / cn 66-2757 - served with the RNZAF until 1945
Schneider Grunau Baby IIB-2
ZK-GDG / cn 107 / ex SE-SDH
Short S25 Sunderland MR V
NZ4115 ‘Q’ served with the RNZAF until 1966. 1 of 5 left in the world. [ ex- RAF SZ584 / BOAC G-AHJR ]
Short S45A Solent Mk 4
ZK-AMO / ‘Aranui’
The last Solent IV in existence - delivered November 1949 and went into service across the Tasman in December 1949.
Later TEAL’s Solents flew the ‘Coral Route’ which eventually connected Auckland to Tahiti via Fiji, Samoa and Aitutaki (Cook Islands).
Transavia PL-12 Airtruck
ZK-CVB / cn 706
Tui Sports
ZK-ADV - Rebuilt from a Lincoln Sport fuselage.
Other exhibits not on view during visit:
Adams Ornithopter: ZK-MPF Ref 6
Hawker Hind: K6717, NZ1518 - Served with the Royal Air Force
Lockheed Model 10E Electra: ZK-BUT / cn 1138, ex-NC21735, N10Y
Lockheed 18 (C-60) Lodestar: ZK-BVE, built for United Airlines in 1940 but converted in Australia to crop duster ZK-BVE in 1957 (1 of 6 used for agricultural work)