Stonehenge Aotearoa
Stonehenge Aotearoa is New Zealand’s only open air hands-on astronomical observatory, and is situated in the Wairarapa countryside. It is the perfect tool to learn about the beautiful dark sky of Wairarapa, which hopes to become the largest dark sky reserve in New Zealand.
Stonehenge Aotearoa is unique in New Zealand and internationally and was inspired by the original 4000 years old pre-historic monument, Stonehenge. The modern version you will see here is an open air planetarium where you can learn about the cycles of nature, movements of celestial bodies and cultures and traditions from Aotearoa and around the world. In this regard, Stonehenge Aotearoa can also be a window into the past, where visitors can rediscover the knowledge of their ancestors. The henge is aligned not only with the stars in here but is a perfect instrument to understand Maori starlore, as it was built taking into consideration the main stars of the seasons for Maori.
Kay Leather and Richard Hall welcome you to Stonehenge Aotearoa, they are the kaitiaki of the place. Richard Hall, is a professional science communicator, with expertise in anthropology, astronomy and geology. Kay is an astronomy educator, former teacher and co-author of the book “Works of the Gods – Tatai Arorangi: Maori astronomy.” Kay and Richard host events each solstice and equinox for guests, and have dedicated their careers to making Stonehenge Aotearoa the number one archaeoastronomy site in New Zealand.
So, why is the night sky important and what would it mean for the community to have a dark sky reserve here?
Light pollution now affects much of the world and it is estimated that 80 percent of the world’s population lives under skyglow. According to the International Dark Sky Association, in the United States and Europe 99 percent of the public can’t experience a natural night (IDA, 2020). Our sky in Wairarapa is so dark that the Milky Way, our galaxy, arches from horizon to horizon. We experience the sky as our ancestors did thousands of years before the invention of artificial light. With so many stars, it is easy to get lost. Before astronomical observatories were invented, to make sense of the sky, people built henges, just like Stonehenge. Bob Adam, the surveyor in charge of alignment spent a thousand hours to perfectly align every lintel and every pillar to the stars in New Zealand, to the Maori asterisms; to make sure that every solstice and equinox you will see the Sun rising and setting precisely from the heel stones.
Every weekend, on Friday and Saturday, Stonehenge’s professional space science communicators open their powerful telescopes and gaze in awe at the Universe, and take you on a cosmic tour of the night sky. This new programme is called Star Safari. You will learn about the constellations, what is in the sky, and if you chose to do so, what you can do to contribute making Wairarapa a dark sky reserve.
Every open day you can visit the henge or book a private tour to learn how our ancestors made sense of the sky for thousands of years before telescopes were invented. Every single one of us counts in this and Stonehenge Aotearoa looks forward to having you there, to venture beyond Earth!