Tekapo Stargazing — Attraction in South Island

Giving this tour 3 stars as although it was good, a lot can be improved, especially the value.

Overall I think this is an afterthought money grab from Tekapo Hot Springs. There were 32+ people on our tour, which had to split into 4 groups to look through each of the 4 telescopes. This means you get a few seconds seconds looking at 3 or 4 different stars in the first 45 minutes. Listening to the speaker was very difficult as there was a snow machine running continuously in the background (If you don't know what this sounds like: it sounds exactly like a helicopter, only it doesn't fly away)

After this you move to the hot tubs, which is nice, although again, with 32+ people the pool is basically full and you can't relax and float around because you'll be bumping into other punters feet or heads. Some people seemed to have skipped the telescopes and arrived only for the pools, so the group size was larger in the pool.

I couldn't hear all of the stories told by the presenter, as the pools themselves are quite loud, there's also lots of people talking etc, and there's no microphone or speakers.

The information about stars was decent and the presenter was good and enthusiastic. Nothing was very complicated but we weren't being taught how to suck eggs. I think there could be more information at the start about why Tekapo is a good place to view the stars, and a bit of broader explanation, but no big deal.

The price: $139 NZD per person is exceptionally steep. I'd have expected maybe 10 people per tour based on this pricing. Given that there were 32+ people , 4 telescopes, and no other professional set up of equipment (e.g. microphones), I think something like $49 would be a more reasonable price.

Lastly, we phoned in advance to see if use of the hot pools in the day time was included, we were told it was included, so we drove from Aoraki Mt Cook. When we arrived Amba on reception told us it was $31 to access the pools. (Why would I pay that when I already have access later?)

I am not sure which staff member was right or wrong but this should definitely be included, and if it's not the staff knowledge should be improved.

Note: I say 32+ because I'm certain it was 34 but I remember reading the website said 32 was the maximum.

Good on them for making almost $4.5k per tour but to justify the cost it has to be modified to not seem like an afterthought, or numbers cut...

My friend and I booked this attraction via the bookme website for a discounted price. In the chaos of planning a two week trip, we accidentally booked it for the wrong day. When we showed up at 10:45 pm at the office, we felt completely foolish, but the staff was very professional and accommodating and allowed us to join the late night tour.

Because the road to tekapo springs is closed that late at night, you have to meet at the office in town and take a shuttle with the group. Our booking instructions told us to meet there at 10:45, fifteen minutes prior to our tour start time. We were the first people there, by far. Because some people on your tour are picked up at their accommodation in town, you wait at the office for the whole group to come together. We waited at the office until around 11:30pm which seemed like an avoidable amount of waiting.

We then went to Tekapo hot springs in a shuttle. We were offered our choice of green tea or hot chocolate. For the first half of the night, two guides showed us constellations with a laser and discussed facts and legends about the stars. The guides were very knowledgeable. They had four telescopes and we looked at about four stars and the moon this way. Definitely wear warm clothes! They also had blankets available for extra warmth.

For the second half of the night, we changed into swimsuits and enjoyed the hot springs. They provide floating hammocks which made star gazing easy. The guide continued to tell us stories and New Zealand/Polynesian legends about the stars. They provided bath robes and towels. The changing room has showers (if you’re quick!), a swimsuit dryer, and a hairdryer. We took a shuttle back and were back at the office around 1:45.

Great stargazing, accommodating staff, wonderful...

Probably the worst money spent on any trip I ever made, but let’s talk about it in detail.

Our scheduled time got changed in the afternoon because they had quite a few cancellations. Should have been a massive red flag but because we had to leave the area on the next day, that was not an option. And the guy on the phone said we should be fine.

The first part of the evening was a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation that looked like it was made in the late 90s. The girl presenting did speak so quietly that nobody could hear her, especially because somebody kept talking at the reception which made it impossible to hear her.

Then the so called „VR Experience“ started as a substitute for actually seeing stars. Cheap and uncomfortable VR headsets and headphones without noise cancelling (still people talking at the reception) made this a horrible experience. The whole VR presentation felt like ChatGPT was asked to throw together facts about stars.

As this torture was finally over we could head to the hot pools. Water temperature was nice (the only positive this evening) and we got about an hour of talk about stuff we couldn’t see. It felt like the girl talking was mocking us…

„On a clear night, star XYZ is the brightest on right there“…. Sadly not for you guys

„You can see the two galaxies right up there“… Not you guys, sorry.

„I’ve seen southern lights on 6 occasions since I am here“… You guys can’t see a single star though, sorry

IF Google would know 0 Star Ratings, this evening would be the definition of it. I would even consider giving this evening a minus 1 rating...