Chameleon Stargazing — Attraction in South Island

I booked the Chameleon Stargazing tour upon recommendation from a fellow backpacker and want to fully echo her praise. The tour felt very cosy and intimate, with lounge chairs set up in a semi-circle and soft blankets available for everyone.

Our guide of the evening was Adria, who did a fantastic job pointing out constellations, stars and planets despite the very bright full moon that night and clouds moving in fast. He made sure to also make pauses in between his explanations to leave room for questions as well. My friend and me gladly took these opportunities to ask questions.

For the second part of the evening the telescopes are set up. We got to see Jupiter, Saturn, the Moon and Canopus which were all wonderful in their own way. While we got to see these amazing celestial bodies up close, Adria handed out hot chocolate (oat milk option available when booking) and set up a fire to roast marshmallows. I thought these little treats were a wonderful addition to the evening and made the experience feel even more special and cosy. If you gaze up into the sky while drinking your hot chocolate you might even see a shooting star or two :-)

Leaving more room for conversations and questions at the end we overall stayed 90 minutes. At the end of the night you get a little souvenir to remember the evening: a photo taken under the (if you are lucky starry) night sky.

Long after the tour my friend and me gazed at the sky, sitting by lake Tekapo, recalling the facts and infos we learned about, being fascinated by the universe.

I definitely recommend this company and will hopefully have the chance to come back one day when the night sky is fully dark to learn even more.

Thank you for a great evening...

Nowadays, 5 stars are devalued from being too commonly given for even mediocre experiences. Chameleon Stargazing gets an 8-star rating from me! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟🌟🌟

They work really hard to make sure we got a deep experience and it is very evident that they are there to share about astronomy, not to make a profit. For example, every group got a beautiful photo of their own PLUS pictures of all the stars & clusters & planets we saw through the telescopes PLUS other photos they had taken PLUS a free beautifully designed digital PDF booklet of orienting the night sky. All FREE, no upselling etc, so common with all tourist experiences.

They set up three telescopes for our session (two groups combined) and used the time fully to view as many different stars as possible, changing the targets once everyone had an ample chance to look at each 2 or 3 times. To be clear, it was not rushed at all and we were given plenty of time.

Attesting to the quality they hold themselves to, they prefer to cancel & refund rather than proceed in sub-optimal weather conditions. This is a huge effort on their part of monitoring and providing weather updates a few times for each session every night.

The hot chocolate and the marshmallow roasting were wonderful additions to round out the experience (which again, they didn't need to do, but did anyway). As an entry astronomy experience, I believe it beats an observatory hands-down.

I would recommend this without hesitation to everyone, especially families & couples. Just be prepared for the cold (the wind-chill was freezing) and for possible cancellation & disappointment (plan for at least one alternate date). I am glad we choose to do this with...

We have been meaning to write this review for a while because George deserves every 5* review and I'm sorry it's taken so long to write it! This was one of our highlights, if not THE highlight, of our whole South Island trip and I'm so glad we booked with Chameleon. From the outset George was very considerate, keeping in communication about the weather and making sure we arrived and got back home safely at the end too. There was light cloud cover towards the end and I think George was more disappointed in this than anyone else was! Even if it had been fully overcast, George would have made it worthwhile from his level of knowledge and everything we learnt from just talking with him! He made sure we got to see plenty of fascinating sights through the telescope and gave us such detailed knowledge of the night sky. From a primary teacher's perspective, it is perfect for children and adults too! These vast concepts of astronomy felt much more accessible after he explained them so clearly as we sat gazing up from the comfort of our blanketed sofas. He is incredibly knowledgeable and evidently has such a passion for astronomy, answering all the questions we had. The hot chocolate and marshmallows were the cherry on top of a great all-round experience. This is a must-do activity for anyone in Tekapo and great value for everything included. Thank you George for a...