Stonehenge Aoteroa is New Zealand's unique open air astronomical observatory, built following ancient knowledge of the stone circles and adapted to the conditions of New Zealand. We look forward to seeing you here during our regular opening hours and for special events.
Covid-19 entry requirements:
Wear a mask
Keep a 1m distance
Have fun
Open: for self-guided tours. Private Guided Tours by arrangement, or you can book directly through the booking system.
Phone 06 377 1600.
You can visit the henge anytime we are open, without having to make any appointment. Check out our opening hours. A map of the Stonehenge Aotearoa structure and a short audio-visual explaining how the stones work are included in the visit.
Video courtesy of Jack TK Lee
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.
You will learn about the henge and its link with the past, with ancient civilisations and Māori starlore, Polynesian navigation and archeoastronomy.
BOOK A PRIVATE GUIDED TOUR
VISIT THE HENGE
Please remember to keep a safe distance between yourselves and others and wear a mask when near others or in the Visitors' Centre or AV room.
Prebooking and prepayment are encouraged.
From February to June – Wednesday to Sunday and Anzac Day.
You are able to visit the henge at any time by arrangement. See our opening hours below. You can book a private tour with Richard Hall any time, daytime or sunset. Must be arranged in advance.
If you are looking for a memorable stargazing experience at Stonehenge Aotearoa, the team at Under The Stars are available for private stargazing tours on site.
Award winning and Qualmark accredited, the team at Under The Stars are experts in providing memorable, informative and enjoyable stargazing tours of our Wairarapa night sky. Learn how to navigate, work out if you are looking at a star or a planet and listen to science and stories that are written in the stars. Once your eyes are adjusted to the darkness, we explore the sky with binoculars and a large portable telescope, to see nebulae, clusters, planets*, the Moon* and galaxies.
(*depending on time of year and time of tour)
Bookings are limited
$25pp for an hour, or $35pp for a 90-minute starparty for a minimum of 8 people and maximum 25.
Wai Tours' Pamela Feiertag offers a shuttle service for transport to and from Stonehenge Aotearoa. Call 0284102614
Check out the upcoming events, tours, exhibitions, courses and much more at Stonehenge Aotearoa.
First Thursday of the month. Proceeds to the Wairarapa Dark Sky Association
The Stonehenge Aotearoa Music Club will be meeting the last Thursday of the month.
The Winter Solstice was, and still is one of the most important festivals of the year. The programme will begin with an introduction, and then we move to the henge to listen to music and watch the Sun set over the winter heel stone (weather permitting), Becky Bateman from "Under the Stars" will guide you round the night sky.
Adults $30, Senior $25, Secondary school $10, Primary school $5
Learn how the zodiac, our star signs, were an index to essential knowlege to stay alive. Then watch the sun set from the henge. As the sky darkens and the stars come out, learn to navigate your way around the nght sky.
Adults $30, Senior $25, Secondary school $10, Primary school $5
Saturn is at its closest point to the earth and looks spectacular through a telescope. The evening begins with AV at 5pm. We then watch the sunset around 5:41pm. After that there is another AV on the winter stars. Music begins in the henge and as the sky darkens Becky Bateman from "Under the stars" begins observing.
Adults $30, Senior $25, Secondary school $10, Primary school $5
Come celebrate the Spring Equinox with us! Listen to music in the henge and enjoy exploring the night sky. Three events in one!
Adults $30, Senior $25, Secondary school $10, Primary school $5
Ever wanted to know what Halloween was originally about? Here's your chance. Come to this tripple whammer! Presentation followed by viewing the sun set from the henge.Spring Stars AV, music from local musicians and telescope viewing when dark enough.
Adults $30, Senior $25, Secondary school $10, Primary school $5
Mars reaches it's closest position to Earth at this time. This means we see more detail. In this special event we learn about Mars. Watch the sun set from within the henge. Listen to music inside the circle of stones.Learn about the spring night sky and look at those stars and objects in the night sky through telescopes. Wow!!
Adults $30, Senior $25, Secondary school $10, Primary school $5
What was the Star of Bethlehem? Ever wondered what it really was? This programme answers that. We go down to the henge to watch the sun set. After that we return to watch the Summer Stars AV. As the sky darkens we listen to music. When the sky is dark we can look at the stars though the telescope.
Adults $30, Senior $25, Secondary school $10, Primary school $5
Visitors to Stonehenge can also explore our ‘Exhibition of the Planets'. Here is the story and the latest images of the Sun, Moon, Earth and the other planets (including Pluto).
This Solar System display was designed and built by Richard Hall.
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Mars, the exhibition, is a project of the New Zealand Astrobiology Network 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. Richard Hall and Kay Leather donated the centerpiece. Entry to the exhibition is FREE if you purchased a ticket for Stonehenge Aotearoa.
We hold key events each year: the equinoxes and solstices, marking each of the four seasons and Matariki – tales and knowledge (May) and Matariki, finding the waka and the house” in the evening sky (Nov).
VIEW ALL
Guided tours of Stonehenge by Richard Hall. Booking tours is essential, which can be done below:
BOOK ONLINEStonehenge Aotearoa is available for private functions – birthdays, and special occasions by arrangement.
We also offer our venue for weddings too! Here's a testimonial from a recent event:
"A Shoutout to Kay and Richard of Stonehenge Aotearoa. We've just celebrated our daughter's wedding. We started hunting for a venue in June, 2021 for an Easter wedding in April, 2022. We visited quite a few venues. We settled on Stonehenge, Aotearoa for several reasons, our daughter's partner doing his Masters in Astronomy being the absolute clincher.
It was the perfect venue. It was truly a lucky find. Not only was it unique and beautiful, the owners, Kay and Richard, went out of their way to be helpful and accommodating. Comparing prices, I would say their rates were very reasonable.
And we couldn't have managed without the help of our Events Manager, MJ (0274580035). She organized a superb grazing table for us and took on board all the little pre-wedding tasks we entrusted her with. In a nutshell, I think MJ is efficient, flexible and her prices are reasonable. Both Stonehenge and MJ have earned a ton of gratitude from us all. Others who helped: Our regular handyman (Thank you, Jason) and Festival Hire (www.festivalhire.co.nz Highly recommended!)"
Khoty Mathur (mother of the Bride)
Guide only to basic charges (charges may vary with individual requirements):
Send us a message if you would like more information or wish to make a booking:
contact@stonehenge-aotearoa.co.nz
Latest news and updates from Stonehenge Aotearoa:
Thanks to Jack for these wonderful photos from the recent Stars and Stones event:
Thanks to John Forsyth for these wonderful photos of the blood supermoon earlier in May 2021:
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