View the story of the history of aerial combat at the excellent Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre in Blenheim - one of Marlborough's most unique attractions. This comprehensive display of lovingly recreated World War 1 era planes - most owned by Sir Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings fame - highlights a significant chapter in New Zealand's history, and here you'll see many great exhibits that show exactly how the aircraft were utilised. Featuring several world-class simulated sets that aim for ultra-realism, many of the dioramas are akin to the set of a movie and capture the drama of the period perfectly.
The latest addition to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre is the Dangerous Skies expedition. The dark and interesting addition unveils stories of World War 2 from the British Isles and German forests, to Russia and the jungles of South East Asia. The main feature on display includes the world's only flyable Mk1 Avro Anson and a Griffon-powered Mk.XIVe Spitfire. Both men and women flew these vessels, but women were more prominent and the expedition paid respect to women in combat through the life-like mannequin of Lydia Litvyak (Russia's 'White Lily of Stalingrad' and the top-scoring female ace). Combined with an overwhelming amount of interesting information, this is an attraction that all ages will be able to appreciate, so book your tickets to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre online today.
Really enjoyed our visit here
Really enjoyed our visit here, it come highly recommended by friends and family and we weren't disappointed. We only did the WW2 section but will definitely be back to see the rest. The figures are so lifelike and there is so much to see. Would be happy to recommend.
To be honest
To be honest, I thought I was going to walk in to a normal museum but my gosh, was I surprised. This is not a museum in my eyes but an amazing exhibition and display of World War 1. It had so much memorabilia that Peter Jackson has collected over the years and it was really fascinating. The displays of all the aircrafts and all the models of the war veterans were incredible. Luckily we had a guide to tell us all the stories and explain things to us whilst we explored the museum. I would definitely recommend this if you can. Loved it!