Blessed with a clear sky and totally wowed by the guide and what she shown us. Learnt about the southern cross and so much more.

This experience ticked off an item on our. I let list. We were blown away with what we saw and the enthusiasm of the guides. Such a great experience. Everything thought of including nice warm jackets.

We were excited to be booked on the crater experience with our family on a beautiful clear night. However when we arrived, first we were told trip was cancelled due to cloud (untrue), then told there was a storm coming (also untrue), then finally told they didn’t have the staff to run it and wouldn’t have for the next 4 days!! Nothing short of a rip off!! I wonder how many other people they sell tickets to, then dupe into a 45 min film!

We did not do the observation tour, just visited the center, saw the telescopes and enjoyed the views. Sunset there was terrific. We wish we had waited and had dinner there, it looked very comfortable and opened onto the lake and sky.

Very worth the price! We were able to see 2 satellites floating in the distance, shooting stars, the Milky Way and the Southern Cross and... the Aurora Australis! I did not expect to see the Aurora since it is late March but a resport came in that there was increased activity. A faint glow in the distance was the Aurora, then came beams of greenish light rising and fading. The docent also used a laser to point out certain stars so there was no guessing! I learned so much in an entertaining way. I was amazed that the human eye cannot see very much of all the colors until the docent set up his camera for a 30 second exposure shot - we were shocked at what the camera "saw!" Excellent viewing night with a fun and experienced staff. Be advised to check the "new moon" calendar so the evening you choose to experience the sky is especially dark and not illuminated by moonlight. The scientists manning the individual telescopes were knowledgable. I would have liked an area for novice cell-phone-camera visitors to try their hand at getting their own photos. Advice from a docent would have been an appreciated, "added feature" too. This said, the Dark Sky Project experience was the highlight of our NZ trip!

We absolutely loved our Summit Experience, one of the highlights of our time in New Zealand. The team at the Dark Sky Project were enthusiastic and very knowledgeable, and worked hard to show us a variety of stars and constellations. It was awesome to see research telescopes at work!

Our summit session got cut short due to complete and immediate cloud cover but DSP did what they could and the virtual stargazing and visit to the summit was interesting. They did offer a full refund or rebook if you chose not to go but we chose to give it a try. We did get a partial refund which was fair and commensurate to what we experienced. It's obvious that those involved here really are thrilled by what they do, astroscience, and want to share that with everyone. DSP is well run with knowledgeable guides and they care about you having a great experience. I think they were just as disappointed about the clouds as we were but the weather changes in minutes here so you just never know.

Already written one review. Not impressed. Totally underwhelmed. Taken on a full moon night. No dark sky. Shown the moon through the telescope! Go figure? Crater was a clearing surrounded by bushes. $200 for two. Felt ripped off.....complained but they didn't care!

Straight off, we couldn't do the summit because it was full cloud. We opted to have a partial refund and do the indoor experience and it was incredible. David, our guide, was deeply knowledgeable and he took us around the universe using their bespoke screening room (think like a cinema but more comfortable and very intimate). The whole experience was excellent and well worth the cost of 40NZD per person. Would easily recommend.

We came on the wrong night but the team went above and beyond to get us on the next tour. Adrian and his team were fantastic and we had the best night. We also ate at the restaurant the day after and had the best meal of our trip looking out on the lake! Be sure to book in advance.

Underwhelming, it took place with a full moon ! And not really in a crater, rather a circular clearing. The guide ( Sharni ? ) was passionate and very informative. However in a full moon, which can be determined easily when it will occur, it was not a dark sky. Not what we had expected and at more than NZ$200 per couple not worth the money or hype

We were lucky enough to have a very clear night, so the stargazing was incredible. The tour was well organized, and the length was perfect. The best part was our lead guide, Kate, who was actually an astrophysicist by training! She had unbelievably detailed knowledge of astronomy, and was able to point out so many details of the night sky and answer questions in detail. Stargazing from the observatory was like nothing I’ve ever done before or will likely do again. We were able to see details of the Milky Way galaxy and even spot. Another, far away, galaxy. We could really do most of this with our own eyes, and didn’t even really need the telescopes. All of this was, of course, enabled by the fact that we had a perfect night, we would’ve been so disappointed if the weather has not cooperated.

Pros: - Novelty experience being up a mountain at 2am. - Got a clear view of the night sky, was really nice to look at. - Staff/guides were friendly and knowledgeable. - Free use of coats. Cons: - Not value for money. - Neck strain from looking up for 2hours. (there are benches near the cafe, I'd recommend laying down on them) - Nothing (for free) to take home/commemorative gift. - Cannot take photos/no photos are taken for you. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I expected to see planets (saw none) and stars in greater detail than we did. Would I recommend it? Not really, unless you can justify the price for a special occasion/treat for your holiday.

This was a must do and we were rewarded with a clear dark sky The guides were unbelievably knowledgeable The experience was well organised and is weather dependent but we struck gold It starts late 11 pm and make sure you rug up as it can be chilly Such a great experience and quite an eye opener as you feel a little insignificant out there with the stars Thoroughly enjoyed the experience and super well organised

While it has a late start, we hit Tekapo on a 100% visibility night with a full moon. They had set up three telescopes on top of Mt John and we could clearly see Saturn, Jupiter, Galaxies, Nebulas, and the surface of the moon. Worth staying up late for! Guides were knowledgeable Nd friendly.