Top 15 Stargazing Tours in New Zealand

1.Alpine Stargazing Experience with a Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 626 reviews · 1h 15m · from $59Our pick

Lake Tekapo stargazing at a dark-sky farm, small group, 14-inch telescope, and a free digital group photo delivered within 48 hours.

“Our stargazing experience at Lake Tekapo was absolutely breathtaking and the highlight of our trip so far. The night sky here is like nothing we’ve ever seen, unbelievably clear and full of stars. A huge thank you to our excursion guide, Nicole, who was fantastic! She was incredibly knowledgeable, engaging, and passionate about the cosmos. She explained the constellations and celestial features so clearly and made the whole experience both educational and fun. Her enthusiasm was infectious and she went out of her way to make sure everyone in the group had a memorable time. If you are in Tekapo, this is a must-do. Ask for Nicole if you can,…”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Stargazing Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 607 reviews · 1h 30m · from $71

Stargaze at Lake Tekapo’s Dark Sky Reserve for 90 minutes with a 9.25-inch telescope, hot chocolate, blankets, and edited photo links.

“Great communication from Chameleon stargazing. The weather and clouds were a bit iffy and George gave us the option to get our money back or stay in the hope the clouds cleared. We all decided to stay and were very lucky as the clouds eventually parted and the show went on! George was informative and spent a lot of time answering questions and explaining the different stars and constellations. highly recommended!”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Chameleon Stargazing Shared Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 181 reviews · from $74Top rated

90-minute Lake Tekapo stargazing with a high-tech telescope, guided stories, cozy blankets, and marshmallows, plus complimentary photos.

“Amazing experience! Better than I even expected. The telescopes were so cool. Our guide was very knowledgeable. Loved it”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Mountaintop Stargazing at Mount John Summit

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 176 reviews · 1h 45m · from $130

Mount John summit stargazing above Lake Tekapo. Expert guides, telescopes, cold-weather jackets, and Dark Sky access in 105 minutes.

“I had to reschedule since weather was not on our side and it won’t allow us to go up top Mt. John. I made the right call as the weather next night was perfect. Less wind, no clouds and moon in waxing phase. The guides were knowledgeable and was pretty interesting to know some astronomical facts from them. Getting to see the universe right above you with your naked eye is such an awesome experience. I wish there was more time to capture this on video. I only managed to get 4 seconds from 30mins time-lapse. The extra jackets kept us cozy so that was plus as well. I highly…”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Mount John Observatory Stargazing Experience, Tekapo

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 160 reviews · from $139

Mount John Observatory stargazing from Lake Tekapo, with telescope views, laser pointers, warm jackets, and expert guides in the Dark Sky Reserve.

“This was an amazing experience!! Highly recommend. Got to look up at the sky with our bare eyes and also with some powerful telescopes. It was so cool and very accessible to people who don’t know much about stars. I believe our guides were named Kieran, Alice, and Olive - they were wonderful.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Silver River Stargazing Experience in Lake Tekapo

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 106 reviews · from $61

Lake Tekapo stargazing with Silver River. Small group, Aoraki Mackenzie dark sky, 14-inch Meade telescope, shuttle, jackets, photo.

“It was just an amazing experience! Cleared sky, knowledgeable staff, warm fuzzy jacket for cold night ..,really get to see Milky Way.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Stargazing Experience at Cowan’s Private Observatory

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 85 reviews · from $82

Stargaze from Lake Tekapo’s private craters with expert guides, a telescope show, and Gold Standard dark skies.

“Quick bus drive to the crater for a nice explanation of the night sky with several notable things pointed out. Also got to see the moon, Jupiter and part of a constellation through powerful telescopes. What you see will depend on season, time of night and cloud cover. Worth doing!”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Dark Sky Indoor Maori Cultural Astronomy Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 70 reviews · from $37

Indoor Māori and astronomy experience at Lake Tekapo, linking constellations, navigation, and Western science with a historic Brashear telescope.

“Our guide, who was ok with be called, To, bro or boy was great! Very interactive and knew his stuff. I loved hearing the combination of European and Maori as this is important to our NZ cultural”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Southern Skies Stargazing Tour in Dunedin

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 62 reviews · from $109

Southern Skies stargazing tour from Dunedin with warm drinks, Māori star stories, small-group attention, and a chance to see aurora australis.

“Your tourist guide didn’t pick me up from my hotel I waited until 7pm pickup time was 6pm (: not happy with your non service”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Night Awe – Stargazing tour in Akaroa

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 61 reviews · from $67

Night Awe stargazing in Akaroa: small-group views through a 10-inch Dobsonian and Seestar smart telescope, plus instant and next-day photos.

“Very informative - Luca was a great host. Well worth going and he made it a personal experience. Would go again and would definitely recommend it.”

Check availability →Read our full review

11.Stargazing Experience at Cowan’s Observatory

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 52 reviews · 1h 15m · from $77

Stargaze at Cowan's Private Observatory in Lake Tekapo, in wind-protected dark-sky craters with an expert guide, telescopes, 75 minutes.

“Expensive for what you experience. Guides were extremely knowledgeable. Novice astronomers should do this. If you’ve seen Jupiter moons…maybe not.”

Check availability →Read our full review

12.1.5-Hour Hot Pools & Stargazing Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 45 reviews · 1 day · from $112

Lake Tekapo 1.5-hour stargazing with telescope, myths, then soak in a 38°C hot pool under the Milky Way in New Zealand.

Check availability →Read our full review

13.Indoor Māori Cultural Astronomy Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 43 reviews · 45 min · from $35Best value

Daytime indoor Māori astronomy in Lake Tekapo, with four interactive zones and a close view of the restored Brashear Victorian telescope.

“Really interesting tour with information about the stars, universe and how the Maori used the stars.”

Check availability →Read our full review

14.Nocturnal Wonders Tawharanui Kiwi Spotting and Stargazing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 23 reviews · from $93

Small-group Tawharanui kiwi spotting and stargazing in Auckland with telescopes, binoculars, and an expert guide in the night sky.

“Legends a Legend, really enjoyed the experience and the knowledge he had. Managed to see 3 Kiwis and got really close to one!”

Check availability →Read our full review

15.Stargazing Tour with 2 Telescopes & Souvenir Photos

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 17 reviews · 1h 30m · from $65

Stargaze over Akaroa’s dark skies with two telescopes, live nebula photos, and a cozy guided night tour with Luca.

“Luca was our guide and he was very knowledgeable. We learned alot about the night sky and the stars. Luca was also very friendly and happy to answer any questions we had. Will definitely recommend to anyone who wants to experience stargazing!”

Check availability →Read our full review