Wanaka Museums

(Wanaka, Otago, South Island, New Zealand)

As a small township and tourist destination, Wanaka offers a number of quality cultural attractions, including two very noteworthy museums, offering quite different themes. Located within the actual grounds of Wanaka Airport, the New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum is always popular with tourists and showcases a number of restored fighter aircraft from WWII.

The Transport and Toy Museum is Wanaka's other offering and is also close to the airport, being situated along the State Highway 6, which leads towards Cromwell. Exhibits here are the result of just one man's collecting and so far have taken some 50 years to amass more than 30,000 different items.

Warbirds and Wheels / New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum (NZ Fighter Pilots Museum / Wanaka Warbirds)

Address: Wanaka Airport, 11 Lloyd Dunn Avenue, State Highway 6, Wanaka, New Zealand, NZ
Tel: +64 03 443 7010
Dating back to the mid-1980s, the New Zealand Fighter Pilots Museum stands approximately 8 km / 5 miles from the very centre of Wanaka, where it remembers New Zealand's past combat pilots and their many fascinating wartime experiences. The onsite array of aircraft includes De Havilland Vampires, Hawker Hurricanes and Spitfires, amongst others. Children will always enjoy playing the computer aerial combat game, while an assortment of vintage vehicles is also on hand, documenting automobile innovation through the decades.
Open hours: daily - 09:00 to 16:00
Admission: charge, discounts available for seniors, families and children

Transport and Toy Museum

Address: State Highway 6, RD 2, Wanaka, New Zealand, NZ
Tel: +64 03 443 8765
A leading family attraction, the Transport and Toy Museum contains a very diverse collection of everything from nostalgic toys and teddy bears, to antique motorbikes and Cadillac cars - there is even a MIG jet fighter plane here! The plentiful exhibits actually come together to form one of the Southern Hemisphere's biggest private displays in existence. Young girls in particular will marvel at the huge number of Barbie dolls, teddy bears and dolls houses, while boys will no doubt prefer the vintage Meccano and Lego.
Open hours: daily - 09:30 to 17:00
Admission: charge, discounts for children