We are open from Wednesday to Sunday and on public holidays. We look forward to seeing you here!

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.

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.

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. 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

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.

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.

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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
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

Mars Exhibition
Would you live on Mars? Come and check out our Mars exhibition at Stonehenge Aotearoa and decide for yourself!
Friday 13 November 7PM – Celestial Navigation
Crossing the oceans has been a human achievement for thousands of years but how did those navigators find their way when there was no land, no mountains or familiar coastlines. Today …

Upcoming courses.

21
November2020
Stargazing Course Introduction 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.
course + night time observingStonehenge Aotearoa
28
November2020
Introduction to AstronomyWe cover basics of astronomy. Great course for teachers, students or astronomy enthusiasts. Observing is weather dependant.
Find out more details.
2pm-6pm and night time observingStonehenge Aotearoa
5
December2020
Telescope Course – first 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 and night time observingStonehenge Aotearoa
12
December2020
Astrophotography Course – second Saturday of the month4 hours of astrophotography theory followed by 3 hours observing – weather permitting.
Find out more details.
10am-2pm and night time observingStonehenge Aotearoa
Continue reading “What can you do here?” →
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Learn

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 opens on the 15th of November. 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” →