Frequently Asked Questions
BEFORE BOOKING WITH US
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The best time is NOW! Stargazing is an all-year-round activity. Moon phases have an impact on what we see; around new Moon, the sky will be at its darkest, revealing the most stars. On the other hand, booking around full Moon will allow you to see how amazing her features look through the telescope!
In winter, shorter days mean earlier departures, the core of the Milky Way is often high up in the sky, and some planets are beautifully visible. It's truly breathtaking year-round!
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Not at all. Our passionate guides, like Luca, will adapt the content of each tour depending on both your understanding of astronomy and your specific interests. You just need to bring your curiosity!
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We do not offer a pickup or drop-off service from accommodations or Akaroa village. All of our tours meet at a designated location. However, Akaroa has excellent local taxi services, and for guests travelling from Christchurch, a shuttle service is available. Please see our "Find Us" page for more information and contact details for these services.
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Your safety and experience are our priority. We monitor weather conditions closely. If adverse weather (heavy rain, high winds, or persistent heavy cloud cover) prevents an outdoor tour from going ahead, we will offer you the following options:
A full refund (less a small administration fee).
The opportunity to reschedule your tour for another night, subject to availability.
If you're booked on an outdoor tour and the weather is unsuitable, we may offer you to switch to our Indoor alternative (virtual stargazing) tour if you prefer an immediate alternative.
Please refer to our cancellation policy.
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Each of our tours offers a unique and memorable experience with specific inclusions. Please refer to the dedicated page for each tour for full details. Here’s a quick overview:
Night Awe: Expert guide, 10-inch Dobsonian telescope, Seestar S50 for celestial photos, hot drink, comfortable seating, blankets, digital souvenir photos.
Date Night: Private tour experience for up to 10 people, expert guide, telescope viewing, hot drink, comfortable seating, blankets, digital souvenir photos.
Astronomy Bites: Expert guide, solarscope, 10-inch Dobsonian telescope, Seestar S50, local grazing platter & drinks, hot drink, comfortable seating, blankets, digital souvenir photos.
Solar Explorer: Expert guide, specialized solar telescope, safe sun viewing.
Cosmic Quest: Expert guide, guided outdoor walk, interactive astronomy scale, Māori solar system stories, solar observation.
Space Voyager: Expert guide, indoor virtual stargazing experience using planetarium software.
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10-inch Dobsonian Telescope: For powerful, crisp views of planets, nebulae, star clusters, and distant galaxies during our night tours (Night Awe, Date Night, Astronomy Bites).
ZWO Seestar S50 Smart Telescope: An innovative smart telescope used to capture stunning, live digital images of deep-sky objects, which are shared with you on our tours (Night Awe, Date Night, Astronomy Bites, Solar Explorer, Cosmic Quest).
Specialized Solar Telescopes: For safe and fascinating observation of our Sun's dynamic surface during our daytime tours (Solar Explorer, Astronomy Bites, and Cosmic Quest).
Planetarium Software: Used for our immersive Space Voyager virtual stargazing tour and as an indoor alternative for outdoor tours if weather is unsuitable.
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Yes, absolutely! We love sharing the wonders of the universe with young minds. Children under 5 join FREE on all our tours.
Space Voyager (indoor, shorter, interactive) and Cosmic Quest (engaging walk with stories and solar viewing) are often particularly popular with younger children.
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Our stargazing site is about 100m away from its carpark, on a grassy and slightly uneven surface. Toilets are wheelchair accessible. Contact us for further information.
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Yes, we're proud partners of the Hāpai Access Card scheme, enhancing our customer experience for disabled visitors.
Learn more about our accessibility features on our Hāpai Access Card webpage.
AFTER BOOKING WITH US
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FOR OUR EVENING TOURS (Night Awe, Date Night, Astronomy Bites): Please meet your guide at Akaroa Heritage Park's carpark, 280 Long Bay Road, Akaroa 7583, 10 minutes before your tour's scheduled departure time.
FOR SOLAR EXPLORER: Please meet your guide at the Akaroa Lighthouse, Beach Road, Akaroa 7520, 10 minutes before your tour's scheduled departure time.
FOR COSMIC QUEST & SPACE VOYAGER: Please meet your guide at Akaroa Stargazing Space (2/8 Rue Balguerie, Akaroa) 10 minutes before your tour's scheduled departure time.
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For Outdoor Tours (Night Awe, Date Night, Astronomy Bites, Cosmic Quest, Solar Explorer): Depending on the time of year, temperatures can drop significantly, especially after sunset. We highly recommend dressing in multiple warm layers, including a warm hat, gloves, and a scarf. Comfortable, enclosed shoes are essential. You can always take layers off if you get too warm!
For our Indoor Tour (Space Voyager): Dress comfortably as you would for any indoor activity.
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What is visible in the night sky varies throughout the year, with cloud cover, and in accordance with Moon phases. During a full Moon, the sky will appear brighter and less stars will be visible. On a clear, moonless night, we can see with our naked eye between 2500 and 3000 stars.
Contact us if you have any questions regarding the visibility of a specific object.
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Yes, you are more than welcome to take as many pictures as you like! For our outdoor evening tours, please make sure you deactivate your camera's flash. A bright white light will reset your night vision (which takes up to 20 minutes to adjust), and you will miss part of the tour.
Akaroa township at night, view from Children’s Bay.
