Night Awe - Stargazing tour in Akaroa
Overview
Available languages
1 hour 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Escape city lights to Akaroa's pristine dark skies for our intimate "Night Awe" tour. Join expert astronomer Luca for a captivating experience through the Southern Hemisphere's celestial wonders.
Experience the cosmos with two powerful telescopes: our 10-inch Dobsonian for stunning visual observations and a ZWO Seestar S50 smart telescope for live astrophotography. Witness the breathtaking Milky Way, planets, vibrant nebulae, and distant galaxies.
Receive incredible digital photo souvenirs!
Instant nebula/deep-sky photos: Captured live with our smart telescope, ready for instant social media sharing!
Your personalized souvenir photo under the night sky: A beautiful digital keepsake of you (or your group) among the stars, sent next day.
Enjoy complimentary hot drink and cozy blankets for ultimate comfort. Our small group size ensures a personalized experience.
Conveniently located at Akaroa Heritage Park, just minutes from town. Book your unparalleled stargazing experience today!
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Experience some stellar sights of our Banks Peninsula night sky in this stargazing group tour. Your immersion into the darkness starts as you first look up with your naked eyes. You will then get to see deeper into space thanks to our binoculars and telescope. Follow our Guide as he takes you on a journey of discoveries. Ask him any questions you might have about our night sky! No prior astronomy knowledge is required. On a clear night, it is essentially impossible to run out of objects to look for in the night sky, making stargazing an infinite source of inspiration and amazement.
What‘s Included
Use of ZWO Seestar S50 smart telescope
Use of 10-inch Dobsonian telescope
Personalized digital souvenir photo under the night sky (sent next day)
All Fees and Taxes
Cozy blankets
Guided stargazing tour with expert astronomer
Coffee and/or Tea
Digital photos of nebulae and deep-sky objects (shared instantly)
Private transportation
Options
Night Awe - Stargazing tour in Akaroa
Reviews
59 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Amazing moonlit experience
Road15775309477,,Dec 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Amazing experience with a forst quarter moon in the sky and the milky way. We got shown what was in the sky with a lazer, Got to look through the telescope and see what images the digital telescope was taking as well. An amazing location and Luca is very passionate about the preserving the Dark sky for the future.
Indoors session as a worthy alternative on a cloudy night!
wimvanmeerbeeck,,Dec 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Weather was poor (rainy and overcast) on the night we booked, unfortunately; but stargazing expert Luca communicated well about this and proposed a number of alternatives (moving the booking, canceling it for a full refund, or doing an indoor version for about half the price). We chose the last option and did not regret it. We had a great and extensive astronomy conversation with Luca (indoors), in which he passionately shared many interesting facts and insights, answered our questions, and seemed to adapt the 'scientific depth' of his explanations to our level of understanding and interest. It was a pity we could not experience the real (outdoors) deal, but we were still very happy with this alternative. Thanks Luca!
Great experience, a must do whilst in Akaroa
AlexHewitt10,,Nov 27, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great experience with Luca, the tour was relatively small so gave a more personal experience. The weather was perfect, and was able to see a number of different stars through the telescope. Thanks for a great experience!
Highlight of NZ
chirag483,,Nov 26, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My wife and I did the midnight stargazing tour with Luca and had the most memorable evening. We got lucky with incredibly clear skies and got a chance to see through our galaxy and beyond. Luca is very passionate and knowledgeable and really taught us so many new things. This was one of the highlights of our trip, and would recommend highly to anyone visiting the area. Kia Ora Luca!
Fantastic!
Roving60042551184,,Nov 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Amazing experience, Luca and his assistant were charming. Unforgettable experience, Luca's knowledge is impressive. Fantastic experience
Magical evening and fab host
Vacation550441,,Nov 7, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00From the moment wee arrived and were welcomed by Luca, we knew this was going to be a great evening. Luca is really knowledgeable, friendly, super helpful (with our camera!) And with a lovely sense of humour. The warm drink and unexpected aurora that night were the icing on the cake. The whole experience was magical and we would highly recommend anyone in the area to go along and support this business.
Lovely evening in the wild
patriciomT2487WP,,Oct 26, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The stargazing tour was incredible — the night sky over Akaroa was breathtaking. Luca is an amazing guide: very knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate about astronomy. He made everything easy to understand and truly enjoyable. Highly recommend this experience for anyone visiting Akaroa! Luca is a very good guide!
Breathtaking.
jmL5546VJ,,Oct 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Luca was very informative and passionate with the constellation, and his prelude of treating artificial light with respect as well as the negative effects of light pollution to ourselves and to the environment I very much appreciated. By and large, had an amazing experience. 100% worth it.
Extraordinary Experience ✨️
MichelleR5980,,Oct 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00A fantastic evening learning about the skies above us. Seeing things I've never noticed, in this phenomenal dark sky area, was mind blowing, Saturn and the International Space Station, for example. The moon rising over the hill was astoundingly beautiful. Our guide was full of extraordinary information making it easy to understand, even with the very little initial knowledge I had. The telescopes just gave the experience that little bit more opmh. Thank you, I will cherish this special evening forever.
Best stargazing adventure we have had
296patj,,Jul 20, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00A fantastic night of stargazing in the South Island of New Zealand Luca was very knowledgeable and friendly Made it a great night to learn and view the amazing stars in the southern sky
From NZ$109.00
Want a private experience? Upgrade to a private tour
Related Experiences
Operated by Akaroa Stargazing