Welcome to stonehenge Aotearoa,

New Zealand’s unique open air astronomical observatory. We look forward to seeing you here during our regular opening hours and for special events.

You can visit the henge anytime we are open, without having to make any appointment.
A map of the Stonehenge Aotearoa structure and a short audio-visual explaining how the stones work are included in the visit.

Learn about the cycles of nature, movements of celestial bodies and archeoastronomy: how our ancestors have understood the phenomena in the sky, how they used these phenomena and what role the sky played in their cultures.

Book a guided tour during the day to learn about the henge and its link with the past, with ancient civilisations and Māori starlore, Polynesian navigation and archeoastronomy.

Our regular programme is:

Visit the Henge

10:00AM – 4:00PM

We are open from Wednesday to Sunday and every day on school holidays

From May to July – Saturday, Sunday and on Queen’s Birthday
From 1st of August to 22nd of December – Wednesday to Sunday and Labour Day.
From 28th of December to 31st of January – We are open every day!
From February to April – Wednesday to Sunday and Anzac Day.

Take a Star safari to the henge at night

Friday and Saturday and every day from 21 December to 5th of January
except for 24, 25 and 28 of December.

From 1st of May to 30th of September 7:30PM – 10:30PM
From 1st of October to 30th of April 8:30PM – 11:30PM

Join us every Friday and Saturday for a night tour of Stonehenge Aotearoa. Live stargazing follows weather permitting. You can find more details about it here.

Everyone should be able to access the night sky. Venture with us beyond Earth!

gift a year of astronomy

Buy a year pass for Star Safari and get access to online astronomy with SLOOH all year long 24/7, 3+ Star Safaris at Stonehenge Aotearoa / year, free courses, plus, you will be the first to know about our special events and programmes.

Find out more details here

would you live on Mars?

Our Mars exhibition was officially opened on Saturday by US Embassy New Zealand’s Deputy Chief of Mission Kevin Covert. The exhibition is a project of the New Zealand Astrobiology Network’s Executive Director Haritina Mogoșanu and was possible with a generous grant from the US Embassy New Zealand, who is the principal sponsor, the Phoenix Astronomical Society (NZ) and support from Milky Way Kiwi. Here are some photos from the opening, courtesy of the US Embassy. Entry to the exhibition is FREE if you purchased a ticket for Stonehenge Aotearoa.
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What can you do here?

ANytime – take a self guided tour

Come and see the henge during daytime without any appointment. See our opening hours at the very end of this page.

Every Friday and Saturday, we take you on a Star Safari – a night tour of the henge, and — weather permitting, we open our powerful telescopes and gaze at the dark Wairarapa sky.

What’s on

JOin us
for a guided tour during daytime
Guided tour during daytime.
By appointment. Bookings essential!
Find out more
Book now
Venture
on a star safari
Every Friday and Saturday we host a night guided tour of the henge followed by stargazing, weather permitting.

Bookings essential.

Find out more
Book now

To book a private Star Safari go here.

visit our mars EXHIBITION – opens 15 November
The exhibition is free with entry to Stonehenge Aotearoa
Find out more
Check out our saturday courses
Saturdays we teach. Join us to lear about astronomy, stargazing, telescopes and astrophotography.

Upcoming courses

events at the henge
We hold 5 key events each year: the equinoxes and solstices, marking each of the four seasons and Matariki Dawn observances.

Throughout the year, we hold many other events. Check out our upcoming events

The telescope viewing is weather-dependant. When the sky is cloudy, we provide a full tour of the henge at night. Check the weather updates on the Star-Safari page.

upcoming Events and courses

Upcoming courses.

6
February2021
Stargazing Course – 1st Saturday of the monthIntroduction to the Night Sky for absolute beginners. You will know your way around the night sky and what to do for next steps. Observing is weather dependant.
Find out more details.
2pm-6pm & night time observingStonehenge Aotearoa
13
March2021
Introduction to Astronomy – 2nd Saturday of the monthWe cover basics of astronomy. Great course for teachers, students or astronomy enthusiasts. Observing is weather dependant.
Find out more details.
2pm-6pm & night time observingStonehenge Aotearoa
20
February
20212021
Telescope Course – 3rd Saturday of the monthEverything you need to know if you want a telescope or your current one is getting dusty. A 1-day telescope course on Saturdays
Find out more details.
2pm-6pm & night time observing2pm-6pm & night time observing

Stonehenge Aotearoa
27
March2021
Astrophotography Course – 4th Saturday of the month 4 hours of astrophotography theory followed by 3 hours observing – weather permitting.
Find out more details.
2pm-6pm & night time observingStonehenge Aotearoa
Continue reading “What can you do here?” →
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Learn

Win a year of astronomy for your school! Click here to find out more.

We offer science courses in stargazing, introduction to astronomy, telescope courses and astrophotography. These are held mostly every Saturday from 2:00PM to 6:00PM and are followed by a Star Safari by the Henge with our astronomy educators.

Our Mars exhibition opened on the 15th of November 2020. This is the first permanent Mars exhibition in New Zealand. We look forward to seeing you here for all these events.

VENTURE WITH US BEYOND EARTH!

Continue reading “Learn” →
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Community Events

Part of our special events we organise music concerts, fairs, and we welcome our community for functions, weddings, anniversaries, memorials and family festivals.

Continue reading “Community Events” →