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Dark Sky Project

@darkskyprojectnz

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Stargazing tours | Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve 🔭 📍 Lake Tekapo/Takapō  Dark Sky Diner & Astrocafe  📸 Tag @darkskyprojectnz to be featured

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Your stargazing personality (don’t argue, it’s accurate) ✨

👉 Swipe to find your sign

📩 Send to someone who NEEDS to see this

📌 Save for later taken in Lake Tekapo, South Island NZ by @darkskyprojectnz

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8 months ago

Call us the "creator of memories" ✨️🔭😲

Do you want to experience this? Let us know! taken in Dark Sky Project by @darkskyprojectnz

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3 years ago

Summer in Lake Tekapo/Takapō means long golden days and starry nights once the sky goes dark.

We're based in one of the world's largest International Dark Sky Reserves, so the show above is just as good as ever, planets, star clusters, distant galaxies and the Milky Way, all explored with our expert guides.
✨🔭 by @darkskyprojectnz

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6 hours ago

Tucked into the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve, our purpose-built craters shelter you from wind and light while you take in some of the clearest night skies on Earth.

Over 75 minutes, our guides walk you through the southern sky sharing both Māori and Western astronomy along the way.

Star clusters, distant galaxies, maybe an aurora if the night delivers. It's the kind of quiet you feel in your chest. ✨🔭

This is the Crater Experience. taken in Lake Tekapo, South Island NZ by @darkskyprojectnz

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2 days ago

The skies over Lake Tekapo/Takapō present nothing short of magic ✨

"The Church of the Good Shepherd beneath the bright winter Milky Way after a snowfall that transformed the landscape into a winter wonderland.

I still remember how inky black the sky seemed, filled with brilliant blue stars, while a faint glow from the nearby town softly illuminated the church.

It was a moment that I believe helped to spark my lifelong fascination with the night sky, and one I look back on with a great deal of nostalgia."

📸 @max.nti @txmrae taken in Lake Tekapo by @darkskyprojectnz

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4 days ago

That's a wrap on World Space Week 2026! Thank you for following along with us and this year's theme of "rocket revolution".

Although World Space Week is coming to a close, there's still a lot to look forward to in space exploration - where do you think Humans will go next? taken in Lake Tekapo, South Island NZ by @darkskyprojectnz

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7 days ago

Our astronomy guide Mel answers: what can we actually see up there and how?

Come find out what's visible from Lake Tekapo/Takapō and celebrate World Space Week with Dark Sky Project 🪐🔭 taken in Lake Tekapo, South Island NZ by @darkskyprojectnz

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10 days ago

Nearly 70 years ago, Sputnik 1 kicked off the space age.

Now, we've got telescopes 1.5 million km from Earth hunting for dark matter and distant exoplanets.

Swipe through to see how we went from a beeping satellite to the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, launched just last month and already on its way to join the James Webb Space Telescope at the Sun-Earth L2 point.

The universe just keeps getting bigger, and so does our view of it. 🚀🔭✨ taken in Lake Tekapo, South Island NZ by @darkskyprojectnz

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12 days ago

1961: Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space, 108 minutes in orbit that changed everything.

Less than a decade later, we're walking on the Moon.

Fast forward through 135 Space Shuttle missions, and we've built a 400km-high home in orbit, the International Space Station.

Now we're heading back to the Moon, this time with plans to stay.

NASA's Artemis program is working toward a permanent lunar base by the 2030s, not just a visit, but a launchpad for everything that comes next: Mars, the outer planets, and eventually, missions beyond our solar system.

From 108 minutes in orbit to permanent cities on the Moon, human spaceflight has come a long way in 65 years.

The next decade might be the most exciting yet. 🚀🌕 taken in Lake Tekapo, South Island NZ by @darkskyprojectnz

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11 days ago

Welcome to World Space Week! 🚀

Since 1999, people around the world have spent October 4th to 10th celebrating everything space, and this week is no different.

Today marks the anniversary of Sputnik 1's launch in 1957, the satellite that kicked off the entire Space Age, and by the 10th we'll be marking the Outer Space Treaty, the agreement that still shapes how we explore space today.

This year's theme is Rocket Revolutions, a look at how fast launch technology is changing, and how much more accessible space is becoming because of it.

All week, we'll be sharing the rockets and missions that changed the game, from the first humans in orbit to spacecraft exploring worlds we'll never set foot on.

Follow along, drop your questions, and if you want to get properly involved, head to the World Space Week website to find events near you. 🌌 taken in Lake Tekapo, South Island NZ by @darkskyprojectnz

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14 days ago

"The most magical thing to do in NZ" is how Escape described a night with us this winter.

Swipe through to read about write Jade Raykovski's experience
Full article linked in our story 🔭 taken in Lake Tekapo, South Island NZ by @darkskyprojectnz

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15 days ago

School holidays are here, and the good news is: you don't need a clear night to see the stars.

Our Dark Sky Experience is an indoor, all weather astronomy journey blending Māori and Western knowledge systems, and the Virtual Stargazing Experience takes the whole family through the southern sky using 360° footage, rain, hail or shine.

Perfect for little ones, easy on the whole crew, and zero chance of getting rained out.

BONUS! If you book a family pass you receive a $25 voucher for Dark Sky Diner

📅 Valid for bookings between 26 September – 11 October

Book your holiday plans in before the school run starts again. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦✨ taken in Lake Tekapo, South Island NZ by @darkskyprojectnz

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14 days ago