Dark Sky Indoor Maori Cultural Astronomy Experience

Good guide and good explanation and very good digital support, highly recommended to do. It was cloudy and stormy, not being able to see a star last night, then this is a good solution

Our summit tour was unfortunately cancelled due to cloud cover. I was impressed with the options provided to us as alternative experiences (full refund included). We could tell that they were trying to make the experience as memorable as possible even with Mother Nature not cooperating. We will try again next time and hope for better weather.

Booked as a backup (1.5 hrs duration) but quite disappointing. Tourist trap and NOT a planetarium. Just 4 rooms, 2 with AV presentations, one with a few star models and an observatory with a “display only” old telescope from 1880. Guide spent too much time at beginning asking people where they from, how’s NZ, etc etc. He had no scientific knowledge and couldn’t answer questions. “Don’t quote me” = guessing. The acoustics in the observatory are so bad, that even as an English speaker it was difficult to follow along. Best in mind it’s very much a MĀORI interpretation/perspective more than a deep astronomy experience. We did the Crater Exp later that night and it was OUTSTANDING!

As it was a very cloudy night, the crater star gazing experience was cancelled & we were offered this tour instead. And what a fabulous informative & interesting experience it was. Our guide, I think Dailey was his name…..is a very gifted communicator, obviously very passionate & learned but also made the tour so interesting in particular about the Māori use of astronomy. We learned so much & would highly recommend this experience.

We were originally booked for the Mount John Observatory stargazing experience, but due to cloud cover it couldn’t go ahead as planned. When we arrived at 1.30am, we were offered the indoor experience instead — and it turned out to be absolutely fantastic. Our guide, Oscar, an astrophysicist, was outstanding. His depth of knowledge, clarity of explanations, and genuine enthusiasm made the experience incredibly engaging. He walked us through the fascinating history of the Brashear telescope, Māori traditions of stargazing, and a virtual simulation of the night sky as seen from Mount John. When the clouds briefly cleared, we were even taken outside for some naked-eye stargazing. Despite the weather, we left feeling completely satisfied. The experience was information-packed, unique, and thoughtfully delivered, and at no point did it feel like a compromised alternative. Highly recommended, even when conditions aren’t perfect.

Dark Sky Project offers a really engaging indoor dark sky experience, especially if the weather isn’t cooperating for stargazing. The guide (I believe their name was Mana) was very welcoming and knowledgeable, setting a relaxed and inclusive tone from the start. What made this experience stand out was the way it thoughtfully juxtaposed modern astronomical research with Māori cultural storytelling. The balance between science and culture was handled respectfully and clearly, giving the experience more depth than a standard astronomy talk. The Sun Room added variety to the experience and helped bring some of the concepts to life tactilely. A great option if you want to understand the night sky from more than one perspective.

This is a great activity for those with young children. It’s quite informative and interactive. The only drawback is that it’s difficult to hear the guide at times - so some sort of Audi headset to project his voice should be used.

We did the indoor tour since we were traveling with 2 small children (3 year old and 7 months old) and couldn’t do the outdoor ones. It was a great experience, we would have been happy to do it even if we could have done the outdoor tour. Our toddler also loved it since it was interactive.

As part of a tour bus group we took in this experience. Our guide gave a very detailed commentary on the Maori use of the stars and of the celestial bodies. Unfortunately he lost a lot of them due to his detailed commentary. The facility is located at such a spectacular location that just walking the grounds and taking in the views is a must. Crystal blue waters capped by snow capped mountains.

We booked the Indoor Astronomy experience because we knew that it was going to be a cloudy evening, and I wanted my children to hear about the Soutern Sky constellations. Our tour guide was enthusiastic and informative. It's a great option if you know you are not going to see the real thing!