Crater Experience at Cowan's Observatory | 1 hour 15 minutes

68 Reviews | Lake Tekapo
From $76.68 per person Lowest Price Guarantee
Select Date and Travelers
You can select up to 15 travelers in total.
Adult (18-99) Minimum: 1, Maximum: 15
2
Child (5-17) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 15
0
Free Cancellation For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Crater Experience in Mandarin
2 Adults x $77.57
$155.14
Approx Total
$155.14
Mandarin speaking tour: This Crater Experience is taken by our Mandarin speaking guides.
Crater Experience - English
2 Adults x $77.57
$155.14
Approx Total
$155.14

Inclusions / Exclusions

  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: Japanese, English
  • Discover the stars and planets using with our guide's lasers and telescopes
  • Private facility with powerful telescopic viewing technologies
  • Explore the endless Southern skies, observe planets, galaxies, and the depths of the Milky Way
  • Expert astronomy guide
  • Return transport to the Crater facility from the Dark Sky base
  • Expert astronomy guides who will tailor your experience according to what is visible on that night
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off

Overview

The ultimate stargazing experience. Enjoy maximum time under the stars whilst enhancing your knowledge of the Southern skies at our private observatory. Designed specifically with stargazing in mind, Cowan’s Observatory is the perfect introductory stargazing experience. Over 75 minutes, you'll explore the stars with both the naked eye and powerful telescopes. Every night offers a new spectacle. From the Milky Way to distant galaxies beyond, our guides use handheld lasers to show you the best of the evolving night sky. They'll help you discover the stars and planets, and understand what it all means. Nestled in a giant purpose-built crater to provide maximum wind protection and minimum light pollution, our expert astronomy guides will enhance your knowledge and understanding of our Southern Skies as you admire and ponder the possibilities through our powerful optical telescopes.

Itinerary

  • Dark Sky Project

    Allow one of our astronomy guides to introduce you to the southern night sky. Take a look through our telescopes at Cowan’s hill and discover a few hidden secrets throughout the Milky Way. This tour is perfect for your first stargazing experience, and will only operate if the sky is clear enough to see some of our southern night sky objects. The facilities we keep at Cowan's Observatory are similar to what you'd be using on Mt John, but the tour is a little shorter. It is a dark sky location just like Mount John. Cowan's observatory is closer to the township, offering a more sheltered environment. This makes it a great choice for families. Warm clothing is essential, all year round.

Sample Menu

Additional Info

  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Minimum age is 5 years
  • Dress warm all year round
  • A minimum of 2 people per tour is required. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
  • If you are booking a time after midnight please double check the date you are booking

Free Cancellation

June 10100% refund
June 11No refund

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews

3.9

68 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
  • 5 stars
    36
  • 4 stars
    10
  • 3 stars
    8
  • 2 stars
    5
  • 1 star
    9

Reviews by TravelOne travelers

Showing 1-5 of 36 reviews with 5 stars

Incredible

Published on Feb, 2025

We did the late night crater experience (1:30 am) and it was fabulous. Marina was our guide and is extremely knowledgeable. We learned about some stars and constellations, a bit of what different cultures can see in them and why they were actually important for survival. The part where you look in telescope makes it even more incredible. We were lucky as the sky was clear and the moon not too shiny. We had a lovely driver from the meeting to the crater. Philipa had a great energy and made us sing to Rocketman. She was also an extra in the movie Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers! She was more than happy to talk to us about that experience. I really recommend this experience if you are in New Zealand. It was really worth it! Thank you to the team!

Must-do awe-inspiring experience when in Tekapo

Published on Oct, 2024

We were originally booked onto the Summit Experience, however due to ice on the track we were rescheduled to the crater experience. The daytime was very cloudy so we were unsure if the tour would go ahead however, at 10:20 check-in the sky was almost 100% clear! The craters are man-made and provide shelter from the wind and from any light pollution. We could see the stars beautifully from it, and we had 3 telescopes (including a Hubble) to look at the stars through. The guides were awesome and full of information and we learnt so much about the night sky! Definitely worth doing if you’re in Tekapo for an evening, and still worth it if the summit experience isn’t possible!

Wow! Chance to see the southern sky in all its glory!

Published on Oct, 2024

The experience started at the headquarters, where we were each given a red light flashlight to be able to see our path, and offered heavier coats. Driven up to the crater along a bumpy path, and there were 4 telescopes and several guides/staff to help us understand what we were seeing. Very enthusiastic and knowledgeable guides, who answered all our questions and gave us more tidbits of information. It was a cold night, but we all came away smarter and more convinced of the importance of DARK SKIES!! The main guide had an awesome laser pointer that, I swear, went all the way out to the distant stars and galaxies to show us where we should be looking!

Must Do

Published on Oct, 2024

Really neat experience! Originally our group was supposed to do Summit but the weather was too dangerous (high winds). The staff were great and very informative.

Worth it, excellent experience

Published on Sep, 2024

Excellent experience, we had originally booked on the summit experience however unfortunately it was too windy however they still offered to take us out on the cater experience with a partial refund and offered full refund if wasn't satisfied with this alternative. We still did the crater experience and thought it was absolutely awesome. Bus driver was very funny and Oscar our guide was excellent and very knowledgeable. We got to look through 2 telescopes at 4 different things which was super cool. Definitely rug up however we were provided with arctic jackets so kept very warm

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