Dark Sky Experience: Tekapo and Mt John

2N Lake Tekapo
3 days

From

US$ 961

per person

Operated by Viva Expeditions

About the tour

Viva's nights under the dark sky...one billion stars, the moon, planets and galaxies far, far away! Join us at Lake Tekapo (Takapō) and Mt John Observatory on a 3 day, 2 night Dark Sky Experience; star gazing, astronomy and astrophotography. Staying near the shores of Lake Tekapo, there is time to explore, visit the Church of the Good Shepherd, go for a walk, or soak in the Tekapo hot springs. At the Dark Sky Project we take a thought provoking guided tour. We enjoy nightly dinners as a group before heading up Mt John, to the world-renowned astronomical centre; UC Mt John Observatory each night. Here expert guides will educate us on the night sky, as we gaze through telescopes, try our hands at astrophotography or simply grab a bean bag and enjoy a prime view on the mountain top under the stars. Nā te pō, ko te ao, ko te ao mārama. From the darkest depths of the night we become enlightened. This bespoke astronomy tour at the observatory at Tekapo is bought to you by Viva Expeditions in conjunction with the Dark Sky Project. *Tekapo has its own unique alpine micro-climate and can change without notice. Weather predictions are often inaccurate. What we will see is weather dependent. Our guides tailor content to what is visible on a given night.

Highlights

  • "Designed to combine with our Southern Lights by Flight, this makes for the perfect astronomy & night sky long weekend! Not going on our Southern Lights Flight? You are still welcome to join us!" Tara, Team Viva.
  • A bespoke mountaintop stargazing experience at the world-renowned astronomical centre; UC Mt John Observatory, great for all levels, whether you want to learn a little about our night sky, or a keen to do a little astrophotography.
  • As part of the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, Mount John is one of the best places in the world to observe the planets, stars, galaxies and solar systems, and you will have fantastic guides with you as well!

Meals

2 Breakfasts, 2 Dinners

Accommodation

Peppers Bluewater Resort

Included in the price

Lake Tekapo

  • 2 nights of guided stargazing at University of Canterbury Mt John Observatory
  • Tour host and expert astronomy guides
  • Use of telescopes: domed 16
  • Dark Sky Experience tour in Tekapo
  • Option to have your photo take with long exposure (access to digital photo will be provided)
  • Free time to explore beautiful Lake Tekapo; walk, photograph, visit the hot pools
  • Transport to /from Christchurch Airport to Lake Tekapo by coach

Day-wise Itinerary

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Day 1: Christchurch To Mt John, Tekapo

  • Departing Christchurch Airport at 12:45pm, we will head to the Tekapo, approx. 3 hours by coach. Arrive at our accommodation near the shores of Lake Tekapo, check in and a little leisure time to explore or relax. 5:30pm - Enjoy an early dinner with your group at Pepper Blue Water Rakinui Restaurant & Bar. Then it is time to dress up warm for the nights activities, and get your camera gear ready. We meet at 7pm, to make our way by coach up Mt John, to the University of Canterbury Mt John Observatory, your guide will give you a little commentary on the way. We begin our evening of activities on the mountaintop, with an intro to the area, and naked eye presentation. There will be 4 "stations" set up for our evening, you are encouraged to explore the different activities.
  • Telescope observation 1 - Using our domed 16" telescope as well as a 9.25" telescope, we will observe several objects in the night sky, your guide will provide commentary to describe each object and answer questions. Your guide will also be taking requests in case you would like to view something specific (dependent on what is visible)
  • Telescope observation 2 - Using the University of Canterbury's B&C (Boller and Chivens) telescope we look at a handful of objects through this very powerful research telescope. It happens to be perfect for planets, so we'd probably observe Jupiter and Saturn with it!
  • Astrophotography - On the patio (at the very summit of the observatory), a guide experienced in astrophotography will be using several mounts. A tracking mount to take guests cameras with their own lenses and take long exposures of the night sky ; a tracking telescope (likely RC8") to plug guest's cameras and take deep-sky images ; a tracking wide-field telescope to plug guest's cameras and take wider deep-sky images. These last two telescopes will be able to take Canon and Nikon cameras (*if you have other camera brands, you would need to bring your own adapters). The guide will also be offering to take portraits with long exposure that will be later uploaded on our account for guests to download.
  • Relaxing area - Take a quiet moment and simply relax. There will be bean bags, blankets and some binoculars for you to sit down, relax and simple enjoy the sky.
  • During the evening a snack break will provided for hot drinks and a hot brownie or similar. and we will also take a group photo. Around 10:30pm , we will take the coach back down to Tekapo, to get a good nights rest. Overnight at Peppers Resort

Day 2: Mt John, Tekapo

  • Take it easy this morning if you wish, enjoy a leisurely cooked breakfast at Pepper resort. Your day is at leisure until the late afternoon. Explore the local area, get in some more photography, take a walk or visit Tekapo Springs for a soak in the hot pool (entrance not included). You may even be in the mood for some exercise and take a daylight walk back up Mount John.
  • OPTIONAL ACTIVITY (NZD 70 per person) Photo processing workshop. 2pm: For those keen photographers who would like to learn a little more about processing their astro photos, join us for a special workshop.
  • At 4:15pm meet back in town, where we have a guided tour, The Dark Sky Experience with our wonder guide Cruize Erueti. At 5:30pm it is time for another early dinner, this time at The Dark Sky Diner. At 7pm we will head back up to Mt John for another night of activities, similar to the night before, however the aim is to focus on different themes. 10:30pm, we head back to our accommodation for the night. Overnight at Peppers Resort.

Day 3: Tekapo To Christchurch Airport

  • Enjoy a cooked breakfast at Peppers Resort. 8:30am Check out and return to Christchurch to arrive around midday. You will be dropped at Christchurch Airport.
  • For those of you continuing your journey on with us on our Southern Lights by Flight this evening, please take a quick break for lunch (own account).
  • Your afternoon Pre Flight Mission starts at either 1pm or 3pm at the International Antarctica Centre, approx. 5 minutes walk from the airport.

Exclusions

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  • Lunches and additional drinks

Terms and Conditions

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  • CANCELLATION BY THE CLIENT: In the event that the client wishes to cancel a booked tour, then he or she must provide a written notice of cancellation (“the cancellation notice”) to the company. The cancellation notice must be: Delivered to an office of the company; or Sent by e-mail to the company’s e-mail address existing as at the date of the cancellation notice.
  • In the event that the cancellation notice is received by the company more than 95 days before the client’s departure date (or 125 days before the client's departure date for any Antarctica cruises operated by Quark Expeditions or Antarctica XXl), then the company shall refund to the client all monies paid less any deposit as set out above and which deposit the company shall be entitled to retain as compensation for the work done and time spent by it. In the event that the cancellation notice is received by the company 95 days or less before the departure date (or 125 days or less before the departure date for any Antarctica cruises operated by Quark Expeditions or Antarctica XXl), then the company shall not be obliged to make any refund to the client. In this respect, the client acknowledges that, in addition to the work done and time spent by it, the company will have paid monies to tour suppliers and it may not be possible for the company to obtain a refund from these suppliers where the cancellation notice is received within that period. Notwithstanding that, the company shall, if practical, and at its sole discretion, make such refund as circumstances reasonably permit. In the event that the cancellation notice is received in respect of the Independent Inca Trail tour, the client shall not be entitled to any refund irrespective of when the cancellation notice is received. You agree that these cancellation charges are reasonable, represent a genuine pre-estimate of our loss and are required to protect our legitimate business interests. For group departures, a transfer of a confirmed booking to another departure date is deemed to be cancellation of the original booking.
  • The company strongly recommends that the client take out and maintain a policy of insurance to cover cancellation of any tours.
  • For full terms and conditions https://vivaexpeditions.com/terms-and-conditions

Starting from

US$ 961

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