Stargazing Experience at Cowan's Private Observatory
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Ngôn ngữ có sẵn
1 giờ 30 phút
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The ultimate stargazing experience. Enjoy maximum time under the stars whilst enhancing your knowledge of the Southern skies at our private observatory.
Designed specifically with stargazing in mind, Cowan’s Observatory is the perfect introductory stargazing experience. Over 75 minutes, you'll explore the stars with both the naked eye and powerful telescopes.
Every night offers a new spectacle. From the Milky Way to distant galaxies beyond, our guides use handheld lasers to show you the best of the evolving night sky. They'll help you discover the stars and planets, and understand what it all means.
Nestled in a giant purpose-built crater to provide maximum wind protection and minimum light pollution, our expert astronomy guides will enhance your knowledge and understanding of our Southern Skies as you admire and ponder the possibilities through our powerful optical telescopes.
Thông tin khác
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Minimum age is 5 years
Dress warm all year round
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
Chính sách hủy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Bao gồm
Stargazing is within secluded, private craters, sheltered from wind and light
Return transport to the stargazing location from the Dark Sky base
Private facility with powerful telescopic viewing technologies
Discover the dark skies of the largest International Gold Standard Dark Sky Reserve
Explore the endless Southern skies, observe planets, galaxies, and the depths of the Milky Way
Expert astronomy guides who will tailor your experience according to what is visible on that night
Food and drinks, unless specified
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Điểm đón trả
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Điểm kết thúc
Trải nghiệm này trả về điểm đón.
Cần Quan Tâm
Dark Sky Project
Check-in with the team at the Dark Sky Project base in Lake Tekapo, and from there we will transport you to the Cowan's Private Observatory, just 5 minutes drive in our shuttle. From Cowan's Observatory, you will be sheltered from any wind and light pollution, in our purpose built Craters. This is a fantastic introduction to stargazing, making it suitable for everyone, including families and younger children.
Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve
Enjoy a stargazing experience within the largest Gold Standard International Dark Sky Reserve. The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve is one of the best places to stargaze in the world. It is listed as Gold Standard, meaning it has some of the biggest, darkest and clearest skies, making the stars and the milky way clearer than anywhere else in the world. From Cowan's Private Observatory, you will enjoy learning from your expert astronomy guide, who will educate and entertain using a mixture of handheld lasers and powerful telecopes. The Observatory is sheltered from any wind or light pollution, so you can stargaze in comfort, year-round.
Tùy chọn
Crater Experience in Mandarin
Mandarin speaking tour: This Crater Experience is taken by our Mandarin speaking guides.
Crater Experience - English
Đánh giá
78 đánh giá
Tổng số đánh giá và xếp hạng từ Viator & TripAdvisor
An alright experience
Roam62547985231,
6 thg 11, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00It was okay, the guide was really enthusiastic which was great but honestly, on a good clear night it would have been better to use an app. The microscopes were cool but with so many people in a group you just queue to look through to a blurry image.
Great night
DennisR466,
30 thg 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great views Oscar was very knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour. We now know a lot more about the stars and the cheese on the moon
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Absolutely Breathtaking Experience Under the Stars!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Melissabrisvagas,
7 thg 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My family and I recently joined the Dark Sky Project Tour at the observatory, and it was one of the most memorable experiences we’ve ever had. From start to finish, everything was beautifully organized — the guides were incredibly knowledgeable, passionate, and made complex astronomy easy to understand for adults and kids alike. The evening began with an informative presentation about the night sky and the view was simply magical. The clarity of the stars was unbelievable — I could see the Milky Way stretching across the sky like a river of light. Through the high-powered telescopes, we observed Saturn’s rings, distant star clusters, and even details of our moon. The location itself was peaceful and pristine, far from city lights — the perfect place to reconnect with nature and the cosmos. I left feeling both humbled and inspired, with a new appreciation for our universe and the need to protect these dark skies. Highly recommend this tour for anyone visiting the Lake Tekapo area — whether you’re a science lover, a photographer, or just looking for something awe-inspiring and different. It’s an experience you’ll never forget!
Fantastic star gazing
Climber09661346230,
28 thg 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00@DarkSkyProjectNZ We loved looking through the telescopes, learning about the constellations and enjoying our night sky. Thank you- you were all a lovely positive bunch! Not really accessible for my mother
Amazing stargazing
Katalinka117,
16 thg 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We enjoyed our stargazing experience a lot with Marina ans Liam. Learned a lot about the South Skies and saw some nice star constellations. Would definitely recommend. The only thing that could be improved is to set the telescopes to be reachable for smaller children as well.
Unsure
Mobile33189537993,
17 thg 7, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00Pros: The guides were very passionate and knowledgeable. We had 40% visibility and were given the opportunity to rebook if we weren't happy. Cons: I wouldn't recommend the tour for children, it wasn't interactive enough for my 8 year old. The tour is quite expensive for what you actually get.
Misinformation and poor service from guide spoiled our night.
sherlynk36,
30 thg 5, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00We were approached by one of the staff to join the 715pm Mandarin tour group, with him stating that the 7pm English group has alot of people. We asked and was told 7pm group has 22 while 715pm group has only 5-6. We agreed and it turned out both has about the same amount of people. We will have preferred an English guide if given the correct information. There wasnt enough seats when we arrived at Cowan. I asked the guide for help to check if we can find a seat for the lady who has kindly given up the bench for my family to be seated together. The reply given was the benches were all full. The tour does not cater for enough seats for everyone so some just have to stand. All in all, a very poor experience.
When bad weather...wait
Russell L,
24 thg 4, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.00Weather bad, so couldn't go out, but indoor experience was nice. After the indoor explanation, they sky became clear, so I could see the stars by going into to countryside.
A Stellar Experience
Firefly78,
4 thg 4, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was an amazing experience. The guides taught us about the constellations of the southern sky including the famous southern cross. We were able to see quite a bit with the naked eye. They also showed us stars using powerful telescopes.
Informative, educational tour
gohh976,
31 thg 3, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00We went for the tour recently when we were at lake tekapo, while personally I had went through the summit tour 10 years ago. Lake tekapo is so much different from before, so does the dark sky project Now there is a dedicated shop space that we first gathered together for a short briefing and jumped onto the tour bus to the site. We chosen the tour as we have young kids that could not join the summit tour. The tour and the site is new to me, the explanation of the stars were informative and educational, we got the chances to view the stars via the telescope, I think if you were to choose between summit tour and this, I would personally recommend the first timer to go for the summit tour Nevertheless this tour is also nice
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