Summer Holiday Experience
Hands-on experiments and active adventure awaits this summer at MOTAT!
This summer, switch to flight mode and explore the science and tech of flight. See planes up close and experiment with lift, drag, weight and thrust. Check out Forces of Flight, our new exhibition exploring the four forces that make flying possible opening on 20 December.
Across Great North Road and the Aviation Hall, discover hands-on activities inspired by the science of take off and landing. Design and test paper planes, create whirligigs that showcase drag, and create your own paper rocket. Get creative with make-and-take crafts, play flight-themed games, and enjoy outdoor fun in the Village.
Dive into lift and aerodynamics through experiments with straws, table tennis balls, and custom aerofoils. Craft a traditional Māori kite, or take on a parachute running challenge on the lawn.
Explore, create and discover the wonder of flight with hands-on play suited for the whole whānau!
Ngā hau a Tāwhirirangi Forces of Flight
A new Aviation Hall experience!
Opens 20 December
In this new permanent exhibition, discover the forces that take you sky high. Uncover the invisible powers that make flight possible and see how lift, thrust, drag and weight work together to keep everything from birds to jumbo jets soaring through the sky.
With hands-on experiments and interactive displays that let you test the forces yourself, feel the balance of physics in action - push against air, shape wings, and see what it takes to fly.
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Science Alive Te Manawa Magic Box
Visit our Science Alive Te Manawa Magic Box to discover collection items and design challenges, with items and activities changed regularly to showcase different themes.
This Summer, the Te Manawa Magic Box is your launchpad for hands-on experiments focusing on the four forces of flight. Build, test and tweak your very own paper plane thruster using different materials, then send it soaring from various heights throughout Te Puawānanga to see which design flies the furthest!
Plus, check out the Magic Box display case too, featuring beautiful aerial photography of Mechanics Bay from MOTAT’s pictorial collection.
Hautū Aunoa Autopilot
Hautū Aunoa Autopilot is our brand new exhibition exploring the bold future of autonomous technology.
Would you board a plane with no pilot?
Take a look at the self-flying Wisk Generation 5 Cora, learn how drones and AI are changing conservation and transport. Plus, take off on an immersive VR flight over Tāmaki Makaurau - no cockpit required!
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Te Kōtiu: An immersive digital experience
Be surrounded by the sights, sounds and stories of flight in New Zealand with Te Kōtiu, an award-winning immersive digital experience.
From the migration of our native Kuaka, to celebrating the growing diversity within the aviation and space industries, Te Kōtiu (meaning to swoop) showcases key moments in aviation in Aotearoa with stunning immersive digital projection throughout the Aviation Hall.
Find out more about this exciting experience here.
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