Tekapo Star Gazing Tour - Soak in the Stars
Description
The ultimate in stellar relaxation, Tekapo Star Gazing is the only guided stargazing and hot pools tour in New Zealand! It combines the stunning Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve with the soul-warming hot pools of Tekapo Springs. A 90-minute experience, the first half of the tour begins with an introduction to the night sky using high-powered telescopes and a fascinating combination of astronomy and storytelling. Enjoy exclusive use of our 37.5–38.5°C hot pool and let the real world melt away as you lie back and gaze up at the southern night sky. Your guide is poolside throughout, sharing stories, answering questions, and pointing out the celestial features visible above. The tour includes complimentary towels, robes and hot drinks (tea, coffee and hot chocolate) A complimentary transfer is available on request at time of booking for pick-up drop off at local Tekapo accommodation.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Tekapo Star Gazing is the only guided hot pools and star gazing experience in New Zealand. The tour operates from the renowned facilities of Tekapo Springs, combining the stunning Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve with our soul-warming hot pools. The guided portion of the tour focuses on the mythology and legend attributed to celestial objects by different cultures around the world. If the skies do not co-operate for outdoor stargazing, an informative indoor experience is run instead, featuring the use of a high-definition projector and stunning full-color satellite images of deep space as well as interactive elements and similar fascinating and informative content as in the outdoor tour - including an introduction to our telescopes. The second half of the tour is where it really gets magical in a (37.5-38.5-degree Celsius) hot pool, let the real world melt away as you lie back with the help of a floating hammock to ensure ultimate relaxation and easy sky viewing.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Minimum age to join the tour is 10 years old.
- Dress accordingly to the weather conditions. A warm blanket will be provided but temperatures can be very low in our alpine environment.
- Wheelchair accessible, please advise at time of booking if wheelchair assistance is required due to limited availability
- Subject to favorable weather conditions. If canceled due to poor weather (snow, extreme ice, lightning storms), you will be given the option of an alternative date or full refund. Tours go ahead regardless if some or none of the night sky is visible. If the sky is not visible an informative indoor tour takes place to highlight the significance of the Aoraki MacKenzie Dark Sky Reserve and local Maori understanding of the night sky. Regardless of the weather, the relaxing hot pools as the second half will still go ahead.
Reviews(116)
It was lovely floating in the hot pool while gazing at the amazing night sky. Our guide was very informative.
This excursion is not what we expected. The overall quality was poor. I had hoped to learn more about the southern skies and their constellations rather than the focus being on planets. There were some real chatterboxes in the group which made it difficult to hear the guide when out at the pool and it was very disrespectful towards her. A simple run through housekeeping rules at the start may have prevented this. It was interesting to hear the Māori stories and the hot springs were enjoyable. Overall, it was overpriced for what it is and unless one was a complete novice at stargazing, I don't think I would recommend this tour.
The night of the tour was cloudy and therfore we received the presentation rather than the star tour. The presentation consisted of a quiz followed by a VR experience. I felt the VR experience was poor. This was followed by the hot pools where the guide told us some stories about the constellations. This part was quite good. As I said it was cloudy with some small breaks in the cloud but the stories were still interesting and it was nice to lie in the pool and listen. The experience was well organised with robes handed out and towels left out for us. The staff were also friendly and attentive. I feel however they given what was paid for this tour is very bad value for money and I couldn't recommend it to anyone based on that.
Hi, thank you for your detailed feedback. We’re really glad to hear you enjoyed the hot pools, storytelling, and found our team friendly and attentive. Those are all highlights we’re proud of! We’re sorry the experience didn’t feel like good value, particularly due to the cloudy conditions and VR component. As we’re in an alpine environment, clear skies can’t always be guaranteed, and we do advise before and at booking that a VR experience is offered as an alternative. For Premium and Premium Plus tickets, there is also the option to cancel if the weather isn’t looking favourable. Our new VR experience, launched in April 2025, is something we’re proud of, but we understand it’s quite different from viewing the night sky through telescopes and won’t suit everyone. We appreciate your feedback and thank you again for visiting.
Even though there were clouds blocking the stars we were so looking forward to seeing, this was a fabulous experience. The virtual reality experience about the history of the universe was excellent and fun for all. Then the time in the warm pool listening to Maori stories was magical. Make sure you do this.
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We’re so glad you had a memorable experience, even with the cloudy skies. It’s great to hear you enjoyed the virtual reality journey and the magical storytelling in the hot pools. We’d love to welcome you back again someday for a clear night under the Tekapo stars ✨
The springs were warm and lovely. They have a robe and towel for you and changing/showering facilities. The water hammocks were nice. I found that you can sit on them or straddle them and lay back. I enjoyed laying back to see the stars better and be more immersed in the water. After 45 minutes in the pool and storytelling which we learned a lot from then everyone got out of the pool, changed, and went to the stargazing deck. They had 3 telescopes set up and 1 of the 3 employees was an Astronomer which I thought was cool. Great experience and well worth the money. They do keep the parking lot and grounds super dark for stargazing. That is part of the experience. I noticed a group of women in their 70s and 80s that had some challenges getting up the ramps in the dark. I would suggest being prepared to use the flash light on your phone facing the grounds to help anyone who may have trouble traversing the way in. Most of the path in has low lighting but there are strips of the path that do not. I wouldn’t avoid if I was older and had terrain challenges. I just want it to be called out to keep everyone safe. We saw 3 different things through the telescope and all were really neat. Learned lots and enjoyed the Māori folklore.
You may or may not get clear skies but it is a great activity regardless. The host is enthusiastic and very knowledgeable.
Did this tour with my husband and 4 young adults, beautiful setting and clear night sky for us. Enjoyed the hot tub experience. Room for improvement..groups of 8 around each tekescope meant minimal time ( like 2 minutes each) viewing which was really disappointing. Need smaller groups.,need to be told to bring warm clothing as we are outside at the telescopes for an hour. Expected The knowledge of the presenters to be more in Depth . The initial quiz was a bit amateurish
Unfortunately, hardly any stars to see, but nobody can help it. But holobrilles as a substitute didn't work, that was disappointing. Time inside hot pools was nice. Overall, however, far too expensive. 100 euros per person ... for what?
On a clear night, I'd recommend this in a heartbeat. Sadly it was fully overcast on the day I went. The 45 minute soak in the hot pools at night with red ambient light was still very relaxing, and the 45 minute VR show that followed was well-conceptualized. No substitute for the real thing, but the guides kept us engaged anyway. Would've appreciated a discount for lack of actual stargazing.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. While we’re sorry the skies didn’t cooperate on the night of your visit, we’re really pleased to hear you still found the hot pools relaxing and enjoyed the Virtual Reality experience. Our team works hard to ensure the evening remains engaging and well-presented, even when the weather has other plans. We completely understand that nothing compares to seeing the real night sky above Tekapo on a clear evening — it truly is something special. As an outdoor stargazing experience, we do operate at the mercy of the weather, and our VR experience is designed as an alternative so guests can still explore the stars and constellations when conditions aren’t ideal. We appreciate your feedback regarding pricing and will certainly take it on board. Thank you again for joining us, and we hope you’ll have the chance to return on a crystal-clear Tekapo night to experience it in all its glory. ✨
Knowledgeable guides and lovely hot springs, with refreshments, showers, and nice amenities. Really enjoyed learning about the stars, especially those you can only see in the Southern Hemisphere. At first we considered canceling when we saw that low cloud cover would be 100%. However, the weather and clouds completely cleared up in time for us to see Saturn, Betelgeuse, Sirius, and many other stars.
