Te Ara Whānui ki te Rangi | Space Place

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.

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.

Thomas Cooke Telescope

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

Matariki

The reappearance of the Matariki mgā whetū in our night sky signals the beginning of the Māori New Year. Matariki is a time for us to reflect on the past and celebrate the future. Learn more about Matariki at Space Place and online here.

The Light Pollution Project

Join Space Place in a Citizen Science project where we measure light pollution — the excessive use of light at night, in Pōneke and take action to darken our skies. Learn all about light pollution and the project here.

What’s Up in tuarangi

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.