Award Winning MOTAT Aviation Hall Reopens

Planes, trains, and a new 155 space car park are ready for opening weekend

Saturday 20 August MOTAT’s popular Aviation Hall will reopen to excited visitors after being closed for over a year. The Museum has revitalised the space, adding digital screens, improved lighting and sound, a Police helicopter interactive, and new aircraft to the space.

Also opening will be the new MOTAT car park; a 155+ space facility located at 98 Motions Road. The car park, built on an old capped landfill site, will come as a relief to visitors to the precinct who have previously struggled to find safe and secure parking in the area.

The project has been a huge undertaking for the Museum says MOTAT Chief Executive, Michael Frawley, “The new car park not only gives our visitors the confidence that they have somewhere to park when visiting MOTAT, but it provides certainty to those visiting or using the facilities at Western Springs.

"I am extremely proud of the mahi done by our employees, volunteers and partners. We look forward to welcoming visitors back."

To celebrate the reopening of the Aviation Hall, MOTAT is hosting a weekend of celebrations with live music, activities and games for the whole whānau.

The steam locomotives will be operating for the first time in over a year, and the fleet of heritage trams will be out in force to celebrate LIVE Day on Sunday 21 August.

The young and the young at heart will be delighted by the new Police 2 helicopter interactive. The AS355 Squirrel helicopter supported critical Police missions from above prior to being decommissioned in 2019.

MOTAT Senior Exhibitions Curator, Rachel Bush says, “After an eventful life with the New Zealand Police, the helicopter is now ready for a new generation of pilots, with the cockpit being transformed into a safe interactive space for children to take the controls.”

Also new are eight digital touch screens which will revolutionise the way visitors interact with the planes in the aviation collection. Take the Solent flying boat for a spin across the King Country, view 360-degree photography of the interiors of each of the thirty-four planes in the Aviation Hall or hear from Lancaster veterans what it was like taking to the skies during WW2.

Reopening celebrations will be held on Saturday 20 – Sunday 21 August from 10am-4pm. The Aviation Hall is located at 98 Motions Road. Normal Museum admission prices apply.

For more details, visit https://www.motat.nz/events/motat-aviation-hall-re-opening

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