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Stargazing at Mt John: Southern Skies Unveiled
4.3
129 Ratings
Lake Tekapo
Discover the universe at Mt John Observatory. Explore the Milky Way, distant galaxies, and more with expert guides in New Zealand’s premier stargazing experience.
Discover the universe at Mt John Observatory. Explore the Milky Way, distant galaxies, and more with expert guides in New Zealand’s premier stargazing experience.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Dark Sky Project - Meet the Dark Sky Project team in Lake Tekapo and journey to the top of Mount John, standing 1029 meters above Tekapo, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and lakes.
- Mount John University Observatory - Delight in a stargazing adventure atop Mount John. With exclusive summit access, an expert astronomy…
- Dark Sky Project - Meet the Dark Sky Project team in Lake Tekapo and journey to the top of Mount John, standing 1029 meters above Tekapo, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and lakes.
- Mount John University Observatory - Delight in a stargazing adventure atop Mount John. With exclusive summit access, an expert astronomy guide will offer an educational and engaging experience within the Aoraki McKenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, the largest Gold standard reserve globally. Guides will combine naked-eye stargazing with the use of powerful telescopes, all set against the backdrop of the University of Canterbury research center, a world-renowned, top-tier facility.
What's Included
- ECW (Extreme Cold Weather) jackets provided for warmth and comfort
- Expert astronomy guides share their intimate knowledge of the Southern skies
- Exclusive access to Mount John’s 1,029 metre peak
- View the night sky with the naked eye (guided by the handheld lasers of guides)
- Look through our powerful telescopes, and through our Mount John…
- ECW (Extreme Cold Weather) jackets provided for warmth and comfort
- Expert astronomy guides share their intimate knowledge of the Southern skies
- Exclusive access to Mount John’s 1,029 metre peak
- View the night sky with the naked eye (guided by the handheld lasers of guides)
- Look through our powerful telescopes, and through our Mount John Observatory dome
- Return transport from Tekapo to the summit of Mount John
- New Zealand’s premier mountaintop astronomy experience
What's Not Included
- Dinner
- Snacks
- Dinner
- Snacks
Additional Information
Our most popular astronomy experience at the world-renowned astronomical research centre. Prepare for an awe-inspiring evening of discovery.
Immerse yourself in the stunning surrounds, pristine night skies and sophisticated viewing technologies as our expert guides share the science and stories of our Southern Skies.
High atop Mount John’s 1,029 metre…
Our most popular astronomy experience at the world-renowned astronomical research centre. Prepare for an awe-inspiring evening of discovery.
Immerse yourself in the stunning surrounds, pristine night skies and sophisticated viewing technologies as our expert guides share the science and stories of our Southern Skies.
High atop Mount John’s 1,029 metre peak, you’ll be at the heart of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest International Dark Sky Reserve. Every night sky reveals something new. The incredible Milky Way. Far-off planets. Star clusters, solar systems, constellations. You might even glimpse a distant galaxy.
Don’t miss New Zealand’s premier stargazing experience. Exclusive to Dark Sky Project, the Summit Experience at Mt John Observatory is in partnership with the University of Canterbury.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- A maximum of 22 people per trip time
- If you are booking a time after midnight please double check the date you are booking
- If weather prevents the tour from operating, an alternate indoor experience may be offered as an alternative
- Not recommended with travelers with mobility issues
Location
Dark Sky Project
1 Motuariki Lane,
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.3
(129 Ratings)
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Justiady
Apr 11, 2025
Precious experience - Amazing experience. Being able to visit an international dark sky reserve. We get to see the stars and milky way with our own eyes. Something we'll not be able to do back in our city.
It's beautiful. We also visit on a very clear day, no cloud at all. But too bad it was a full moon, and the moon was so bright, so some of the smaller stars were not that visible. But we still get to see the milky way, tho not as obvious. Highly recommend goin there on nights with no moon, it should be amazing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kathy_b
Mar 10, 2025
Informative and fun - This is a great tour for stargazing novices. We learned about the major constellations and stars and got to see several different types of astral marvels (the moons of Jupiter, a cluster of stars from just after the Big Bang, a group of new stars, and the surface of the moon). The guides were informative and could answer a range of questions from explaining the impact of satellites on scientific research to addressing skepticism about the moon landing. And they thoughtfully provide warm jackets so we could be comfortable!
Review provided by Viator
Equivoco
Mar 5, 2025
Worth the loss of sleep. - I was hoping for cloud to cause a cancellation of this tour and allow me an uninterrupted sleep, but the night was very clear. I managed a nap before the midnight start. It was cold on the mountain but the provided jackets were comfortable and warm. Our guides were knowledgeable and friendly. I learned more about astronomy than I had expected.
Definitely recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dedon4
Feb 9, 2025
Excellent experience. Well worth the late night and driving - Amazing.... Educational, interesting, spectacular views of stars, clusters, the moon....
Well informed and educated guides take you millions and billions of light years from home!;! Well worth the late night!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anthouard
Feb 22, 2025
Enthusiastic Guide who worked around the clouds to show us most of the night sky as the clouds moved and shifted. - Even though it was cloudy we were able to get a good view of different stars and constellations including the Southern Cross, the fake southern star and learned how to identify the true southern star. We were also able to use 3 of the telescopes and were able to see the Tarantula Nebula and see stars being born. I felt the group size was too large for each participant to fully take advantage of the telescopes and had hoped to be able to take photos using the telescopes.
Review provided by Viator
Dahokolomok
Jan 2, 2025
Unique experience, but it is pricey. But you do get a refund if the weather doesn't cooperate! - It was a very interesting experience, having never done something like this before!
You can read the other reviews for full details, but effectively you get an informative tour about the Mt John Observatory (next door to Tekapo town), an introduction to the main stars and planets in the night sky, and then also a chance to use three of their telescopes to peer at various planets / stars. Overall, the tour is about 1hr 15mins in total I reckon (as total time end to end is 2 hours).
Do wear warm, as even though we went on a summer night, and was told it was 10 degrees up there, it did get colder as the wind picked up! And you do a lot of standing around in the open. They do provide HUGE coats to borrow for free, definitely do take one. But bring a beanie and gloves too, if you have them.
They are also rather ethical; if there is cloud cover, they will tell you before the tour starts, and you can opt for a refund. Note - this option is only for the Summit Experience, not for the cheaper Crater Experience.
On our night, we were told before the tour that the skies were 80% clear, but there was risk of some movement of clouds from nearby. We were offered the choice of a refund, but we decided to go ahead.
During the tour itself, the visibility got progressively worse. We were maybe 1hr into the tour, when they had to cut it short - the last 5-10 mins I believe. They offered a 50% refund to everyone, proactively. Which was a very fair result, IMO.
Price-wise, its not cheap at NZD200+ per person. I wouldn't label it great value for money. But it is a very unique experience.
Timing, I would say that the 10pm tour was a bit too early for peak-summer (1st Jan). The sun had barely set yet. I would say go for the tour at least 2 hours after sunset time, so you can get the full "dark sky" experience with all the stars visible.
Do book in advance if you can, as the tour groups snatch up loads of tickets 6 months out, from what I've been told.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Arjanenkatjav
Apr 12, 2025
Overpriced and underwhelming – not worth it under a bright moon - I really wanted to enjoy the Dark Sky Project, but unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience, especially considering the high price of NZD 200 per person.
Firstly, if the moon is more than half full, don’t bother going. The moonlight makes it nearly impossible to see most stars clearly, which defeats the whole purpose of a stargazing experience.
The explanations given during the tour were very basic and felt overly simplified—almost like they were intended for children. I had expected more in-depth insights into astronomy, constellations, or galaxies, but that never came.
The telescope viewing was also underwhelming. You only get to look briefly, and what you see through the lens is minimal and unclear. And if you want to drive yourself to the observatory, you’re still charged an additional NZD 8 just to access the site.
Overall, it felt like a tourist trap—more focused on making money than delivering a meaningful or educational experience. Honestly, you could just drive a few minutes out of town, use a stargazing app, and have a much better (and free) view of the night sky.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Edit_s
Apr 4, 2025
It was cloudy. Therefore,... - It was cloudy. Therefore, it was cancelled. And while that’s out of their control, they offered an indoor experience which was uninformative and unimpressive.
Review provided by Viator
Ozzyprice
Feb 15, 2025
Buyer beware, waste of money and time. - What a con ! Paid for a summit experience which was very expensive, so utterly boring and not dark !!
There was a full and very bright moon so it wasn't dark at all making it pointless. When I complained they told me that they expect their customers to look up the lunar cycle !!! Yeah right as if , they are apparently the experts so know the lunar cycles we'll in advance and just don't chose to tell you. I overheard a staff member asking if the tour was going ahead due to this so they already knew it would be crap. No presentations at all, waste of time, effort and lots of money.
I regularly see a far better night sky from my garden in Perth !
Do not recommend , save your money.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hermann
Dec 27, 2024
Stargazing/Milky-way-view very bad... - I booked the event, it was confirmed and then paid for. Event did not take place without comment. Without justification (even after inquiring), this tour did not take place. Just embarrassing...
Review provided by Tripadvisor
