Space Place

AN UPDATE

Haere mai. Welcome back to Te Ara a Whanui Ki Te Rangi – Space Place.

We are thrilled to be open! Our temporary hours are 4pm – 10pm on Friday and 10am- 6pm on the weekend.

We continue to follow the Ministry of Health advice and guidelines around physical distancing, hygiene, visitor numbers, and contact tracing so you’ll notice some changes during your visit.

The health and wellbeing of our visitors and team is very important to us. Visitors will be required to complete contact tracing before entering and anyone unwell may be asked to leave. For more details, see our FAQs here.

We’ll also share any updates here or on social media. We look forward to seeing you soon!

At Space Place we share the stories of our New Zealand skies through multimedia exhibits, interactive galleries, the historic Thomas Cooke telescope and our digital, full-dome planetarium. Learn about planets, stars, constellations and galaxies and New Zealand’s contribution to astronomy and space sciences. Complete your trip through the galaxy, look back in time to our history of exploration with the transit of Venus and Māori starlore.

Space Place is home to a state of the art Sky-Skan digital fulldome planetarium system hosting a range of planetarium movies for every age.

Planetarium Schedule

What's up in Space KNOW YOUR NIGHT SKIES : THE WEEK'S NIGHT SKY OUR SOLAR SYSTEM Enjoy the night sky each week, as we give you the latest on stargazing. SEE WITH THE NAKED EYE The Sun is in the zodiacal constellation of Taurus. It sets around 05:00PM and rises around 07:40AM. This week, the [...]

What’s Up in Space

Adopt a star and give someone you love a gift that’s quite literally out of this world!

Adopt a Star

Primary Programmes We are taking bookings for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for Wellington Museum and Space Place from now. Schools will have sole use of the venue during their booking. Nairn Street Cottage closed until further notice. We are also taking bookings from Terms 3 and 4. We take the health and welfare of our [...]

Primary Education Programmes

Planetarium
Space Place’s stunning digital, full-dome planetarium screen has a range of shows for all ages, selected from the best available nationally and internationally. From adorable aliens and spectacular images of the planets to the wonders of space travel and exploration, each show includes a live presentation of the night sky over New Zealand.

See our list of shows and times here.

Interactive Galleries
Explore our galleries including a do-it-yourself Black Hole and asteroids you can pick up. You’ll find a real moon rock, learn about the historic Apollo missions of the late 1960s and experience a rocket blast-off. In the Tūhura Space Module you can experience what it feels like to be inside a spaceship.

Visit the Matariki theatre and listen to stories explaining how Māori navigated the vast Pacific Ocean using the stars, and learn the importance of Matariki, the astronomical event that marks the Māori New Year.

Thomas Cooke Telescope

To protect against the risk of Covid-19, Space place has made the decision to suspend all telescope viewings. We understand this may be disappointing but in the interests of minimising the spread of Covid-19 we feel this is the best action to take.

On a clear night you can look through the giant telescope and roam the spectacular southern skies. It’s star-gazing at its finest. Every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, depending on weather. Contact Space Place if uncertain.

What’s Up in Space?

Each week, our Communication Team give you a heads up of what is appearing in the night sky.

Keep up to date with what’s going on in our universe and beyond here.

See our Space Place events, courses and more.

SEE OUR EVENTS

OPENING HOURS

Our temporary hours are 4pm – 10pm on Friday and 10am- 6pm on the weekend.

ADMISSION PRICES

Adult: $14

Gold Card Holder / NZ Student (NZ ID required): $12

Child (4-16 years): $9

Preschool Child (0-3 years): Free

Family (2 adults and up to 3 children): $45

Friends of Museum Wellington: Free

Please note that children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Bookings are essential for all schools and tour groups.

PARKING

Ticket parking is available at the car park located on Upland Road (charges apply). There are limited parking spaces outside Space Place reserved especially for mobility permit holders.