Private Tour
AuthenticAs Star Gazing -Nightscape Portrait Photography Tour
Overview
Available languages
2 hours
Mobile ticket
Whether you live here or are visiting we have found the best places to take you on Stargazing. We collect you in our 4WD land rovers, choosing from many of our dark sky locations to guide and photograph you under the Southern Night Sky. Come along with us NZ Astro tourism Academy qualified Guides this Summer 2023/4 and discover star navigation, the meaning and language of our constellations and using our Unistellar EVscope and night binoculars we choose the most interesting features viewable that night for you to see close up. We professionally shoot your portrait with the galactic core as a backdrop. Often snow will be under our feet. NZ Award winning photographers, we deliver you with a set of images from your experience to cherish along with images from our telescope that we viewed together live. Customers love this tour who are also budding astrophotographers -ask us for tuition and bring your camera/ tripod is also an option. We are the only Queenstown bespoke star gazing tour.
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
What‘s Included
Private transportation
Professional photography taken of you supplied digitally as a Pixieset Collection
Permitted 4WD location on Department of Conservation land
Hot Chocolate and Cookies (please let us know if there are any food allergies)
Health & Safety audited and full public liability insurance
4WD Land Rover pick up and drop off
Southern Night Sky Tour by a Aotearoa Astrotourism Guide
Optional astrophotography tuition with your own camera/tripod or iphone
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
What To Expect
Queenstown
We hold Department of Conservation permission to access Dark Skies close to and/or within the Wakatipu Basin /Queenstown /Tahuna area. We particularly love to take our visits into the Mountains often snowy in Wintertime , with ease of access and down alongside Lake Wakatipu. We try our best to use bespoke locations planned for your needs or group wishes. We also have the ability to add in a Day into Night Tour and Authentic As Queenstown to this Starry Night Package so we can add in multiple locations.
Options
AuthenticAs Star Gazing -Nightscape Portrait Photography Tour
Pickup included
Reviews
57 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Incredible Experience!
carsonb434,
Dec 7, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We came to New Zealand on our honeymoon and the night we spent stargazing was a true highlight of the trip. Simon is a true expert on both the stars and the history of their relationship to and influence on Māori culture. We learned so much, feel more grounded in our position on the planet, and had a great time doing it! Would highly recommend spending an evening learning from Simon. And to top it all off, we have some incredible photos to remember it by!
The perfect stargazing experience!
GillG Sheffield,
Nov 15, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The perfect experience for anyone keen on stargazing! Simon from AuthenticAS effortlessly weaves traditional Maori stories with modern astrophysics to give a fascinating tour of the night sky in the Southern Hemisphere. We had booked for the Friday evening but Simon emailed a couple of days before say he had blocked out the Thursday evening for us if we wanted to swap, since clear skies were forecast for that evening, compared to clouds for the Friday. We are so glad we took his advice - not only did we achieve our dream of studying the stars and galaxies in the Southern Hemisphere, but we were lucky enough to be photographed beneath the Aurora Australis! Thank you, Simon, for the perfect experience.
Great Company
Natalie9696,
Oct 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We were not able to complete our adventure due to weather but wanted to point out the great communication. Ooo with confidence from this group. Queenstown is stunning in itself. A great photograph would be a wonderful keep sake.
Emma and Simon are lovely...
Dariel P,
Oct 7, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Emma and Simon are lovely people! I came to this with no nightscape photography experience and a few hours later I had some great photos, a good foundation for taking more on my own back home, and a better understanding of the local stories centered on the stars. I’d happily do this again if I get to revisit Queenstown!
Excellent experience of Star Gazing in Queenstown
Adventure315175,
Sep 11, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We as a family of 4 had a great opportunity to do a star gazing trip with Simon. It has been a great experience right from booking the same on their website to any follow ups questions. Communication has been proactive, quick and excellent. Simon is very knowledgeable and gave us a very unique experience with in-depth information sharing of the stars and sky. He went above and beyond in getting extra jackets for us so that we really enjoy the experience. Star gazing photos are also excellent. HIGHLY recommended tour. Thank you, Simon.
Extraordinary experience
FarAway20444607098,
Jun 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Excellent experience. Simon is a very knowledgable photographer. I learned a lot from him I highly recommend AuthenticAs.
unbelievable experience
M9718WMkarenb,
May 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00There are really no words to adequately describe our experience. The sky was cloudless and with Simon's rich and engaging teaching, we saw amazing stars and galaxies. He has equipment that makes it all very accessible and his clear communication made it all so easy. And then there are the pictures we got as part of the package. OMG! Thanks, Simon for the grand finale to our trip! We are still amazed by it all!
Indescribably beautiful
R2369CXkellyh,
May 21, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Stunning. We couldn’t have dreamed of anything better Simon was so knowledgeable and we loved the Māori perspective. This is a must for anyone interested in stargazing
Wonderful experience
Sergio R,
May 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00An absolute five stars. Wonderful experience, Simon and Emma do a wonderful job. The sky was beautiful, we could see the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds (satellite galaxies) He took great photographs of my daughter and I, showed us constellations with binoculars, and galaxies and the moon with a Smart Telescope Simon also shared with us how the Māori people see relate astronomy and astrology and their creation stories Will never forget the experience, the photos arrived via email the next day
UNBELIEVABLE Beauty
whittlerd,
Apr 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00What a FANTASTIC adventure!!!!!! Simon is an EXCELLENT host/guide/teacher. We are northern hemisphere folks so the southern sky was spectacular to see. Simon does not disappoint with his knowledge of the stars and the history of the stars and the Māori people. TAKE this tour - the night sky is disappearing - you will NOT be disappointed.
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