Stonehenge Aotearoa — Local services in North Island

Briliant. Absolutely amazing.

Stonehenge Aotearoa, built by members of The Phoenix Astronomy Society near Carterton, New Zealand, is a modern adaptation of the Stonehenge ruins on the Salisbury Plain of England.

The henge, built over 2 years and opened on 12 February 2005 by Nobel Laureate Professor Alan MacDiarmid, contains 24 pillars and is 30 metres (98 ft) in diameter and about 4 metres (13 ft) high. The pillars are capped with lintels, completing the circle, and a 5 metres (16 ft)-tall obelisk marks the center of the henge. The modern henge was designed to demonstrate how ancient peoples used such constructions to understand astronomy. Since Stonehenge Aotearoa is at a different latitude and longitude than the original Stonehenge, it is not an exact replica some measurements had to be changed to preserve certain astronomical properties.

Its design was inspired not only by the original Stonehenge, but also by navigational and astronomical techniques of Polynesia and of the New World. Stonehenge Aotearoa also differs from its Salisbury cousin in construction; the pillars, lintels and central obelisk are not hewn stone, but are hollow structures with concrete molding forming their exterior.

It was intended to generate revenue for The Phoenix Astronomy Society to raise money for the Matariki Research Observatory.

With regards to the seven fingers which are on the left of the golden statue in my photo above: The seven fingers on the left represent the matariki (the eyes of god for the Maoris, Althurayya for the Arabs as well as the seven sisters or the Pleiades.

In astronomy, these refer to an open star cluster located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky. The cluster is dominated by hot blue and extremely luminous stars that have formed within the last 100 million years.

The Pleiades are a prominent sight in winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and have been known since antiquity to cultures all around the world, including the Celts, Māori, Aboriginal Australians, the Persians, the Arabs, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Maya, the Aztec, the Sioux and the Cherokee. They were utilised to identify the location by sailors and people in the dessert.

The rising of the Pleiades before dawn (usually at the beginning of June) has long been regarded as the start of the new year in Māori culture, with the star group being known as Matariki. The rising of Matariki is celebrated as a midwinter festival in New Zealand. In Hawaiian culture the cluster is known as the Makali'i and their rising shortly after sunset marks the beginning of Makahiki, a 4-month time of peace in honor of the god Lono.

Summarised...

On the evening of 22nd of December 2018, I undoubtedly had one of the worst customer service experiences of my life! My inlaws, who flew in from Christchurch, my partner and myself arrived for the summer solstice event which was listed as free, as you can see from the photos below from Eventfinda. When we arrived to Stonehenge Aoteoroa with our potluck dinner we were asked if we had made a booking and that it was $20 each per adult. We told the rude lady that the listing said this event was free, to which she then replied, "Sorry darling, I do all the listings and it's definitely not free". Well, misses "I do all the listings", how do you explain the listing on eventfinda? After showing the listing, no compromise was offered, we were just rudely dismissed.

To the lady who spoke to my partner in a disrespectful, condescending manner, you're an absolute disgrace to the tourism industry and a poor example of customer service. As a Wairarapa local, I am ashamed and embarrassed that my inlaws had to experience your appauling behavour. I hope no one else has to drive an hour to experience the disgusting behavour you put on display for us.

"It's a special place and you are assured of a memorable experience if you make the effort to venture there this Saturday." - Yeah Right! Should be a tui billboard.

UPDATE: In reply to your response, we might have considered paying if you weren't so damn rude! Why would I give my hard earned money to someone like that? And at what point did you tell us that the music was free? Stop lying. It is bad look for you guys and I will strongly not be recommending you to anyone at all. Embarassment to...

I was very excited to visit this place since it was built with the same specifications as the Stonehenge in the UK (not as a replica). It is in a sort of remote country location with pastoral fields and sheep surrounding the site, so the scenery is serene and fantastic!

You pay your entrance fee when you get there and view an informational video about the origins of Stonehenge, the site in England, and this site. The trailer serves as the visitor center and gift shop and there are neat informational posters all around it.

You do a self-guided tour of the henge and depending on how in-depth you want to nerd out your visit could be 10mins to an hour. I spent over half an hour, but to be honest, because I had the site to myself (I went in the late afternoon just as the storms had begun to clear), I sat in the middle of the henge for a 10 of those 30+mins.

There are various astrological features that are dependent upon the equinoxes, solstices, and the sun, so those are obviously not going to be on every visit. But, it was cool to kind of “investigate” all the different features with the highlight being sitting at the base of the obelisk and clapping and hearing the very cool acoustic echoes. I was like a kid that had discovered a new toy! I am sure I would have looked insane to anyone who would have walked up to me clapping, listening, and giggling contentedly!

It was also great talking w/one of the owners and getting astrological info and learning why our “traditional” astro signs are no longer correct. Fascinating place and well worth the...