Carterton Space Week begins with rockets, planetarium adventures and space science in town, then continues under the real night sky at Star Safari Observatory.

For this special Carterton Space Week Edition, we invite you to complete your mission beneath the stars of the Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve. Step away from the launch pads and into the night, where powerful telescopes reveal planets, star clusters, nebulae, galaxies and the deep-sky objects that make our region such a remarkable place to look up.

This year’s Carterton Space Week theme is Rocket Revolution, celebrating how rockets, satellites and new space technologies are changing access to space. At Star Safari, we connect that story back to the sky itself: the planets we explore, the stars we navigate by, the galaxies beyond our own, and the extraordinary dark skies we are lucky to share here in Wairarapa.

Your guided experience includes an introduction to the night sky, telescope viewing when conditions allow, and our usual mix of science, stories and cosmic perspective. If clouds join the party, we continue indoors with virtual skies, space science and guided interpretation.

After you have spent the week launching rockets, visiting Mars Blueberry, joining talks, or collecting stamps in your Carterton Space Week passport, this is your chance to finish the journey under the real sky.

Passport mission stamp:
Reached the Real Sky

Good to know
This is a special Carterton Space Week edition of Star Safari. Bookings are essential. Stargazing is weather dependent, but the experience continues in cloudy conditions with our indoor astronomy and space-science programme.

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Star Safari is an approved Learning Destination for Wānanga Nohinohi Te Kunenga Children's University Massey, where participating tamariki can explore astronomy and space science while adding learning hours to their Passport to Learning.

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Important Booking Information

Please don’t visit without a booking!

1. ✅ Booking Required: We can only host guests with a confirmed booking — please plan ahead before you come.
2. Contact Us First: If you’re nearby, call 021 663 808 or 021 269 2908 — please don’t ask the neighbours for directions or access.
3. Children: Every child must be registered. Up to two children under 16 are free per paying adult. If you bring a child that you have not booked, you will be charged the full price for an adult. 
4. No LED shoes: they ruin night vision. 
5. All people on site must have a valid ticket: Only Star Safari customers can be on site (which includes driveways and carpark). 

Site Access and Non-Participating Visitors

Star Safari operates on private property within a working farm environment. For the safety and security of all guests, staff, landowners, and neighbouring property owners, access to the site is restricted to ticketed participants only.

Individuals who have not purchased a ticket may not remain on the property during a session. This includes waiting in vehicles, waiting on the access road, waiting in parking areas, or remaining elsewhere on the farm.

The Star Safari site is located on a working farm and is accessed via private roads. The property contains farm equipment, vehicles, uneven terrain, and other hazards that may not be visible at night. Our staff are responsible for supervising paying participants and cannot monitor non-participating visitors.

This policy also helps protect the privacy, security, and enjoyment of our guests and landowners.

Terms & Conditions: Make sure you’ve read and understood our Terms and Conditions before booking.

We love sharing the sky, but our site is private property and part of a working farm — booking ensures your safety, comfort, and the best possible experience under the dark skies of Wairarapa.