Te Ara Whānui ki te Rangi | Space Place

Kia ora. Due to staff absence relating to COVID-19, please check our Facebook page @spaceplacenz for information on COVID-19-related closures.

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.

Admission includes: 

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 Ngā Tautangata and spectacular images of the planets to the wonders and exploration through te tuarangi, each show includes a live presentation of the night sky over Aotearoa.

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 marama 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 ngā whetū, and learn the importance of Matariki, the astronomical event that marks the Māori New Year.

Telescope Viewings

On a clear pō, you can look through one of our telescopes and roam the spectacular southern skies. It’s star-gazing at its finest. Every Rātū, Rāmere, and Rāhoroi, starting approx 1 hour after sunset and depending on the weather. Contact Space Place if uncertain.