Chameleon Stargazing Shared Tour
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
South Island, New Zealand
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Take the opportunity to enjoy some guided stargazing with this tour at Lake Tekapo. Peer through a high-tech telescope to marvel at the stars and capture images using our escape 2. Savor hot chocolate, cozy blankets, and roasted marshmallows under the night sky. Listen to enchanting stories and fascinating facts about the celestial wonders from your guide. Plus, take home complimentary photos snapped during the tour.
- Gaze at the stars; see stars and constellations using a powerful telescope
- Learn fascinating facts about astronomy and the tales of stars
- Gather around a fire, sit on cozy seats, and roast some marshmallows
- Capture some photographs of you under the stars
What's Included
- Telescope
- SnacksMarshmallows
- Coffee and/or TeaHot chocolates
- All Fees and Taxes
- Shuttle service to and from your accommodation
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 70 Andrew Don Drive, Lake Tekapo 7999, New Zealand
The meeting point is 70 Andrew Don Drive, Lake Tekapo. You will receive detailed instructions after booking. If you require shuttle services from our town office at 8 Simpson Lane, please contact us to arrange it for an additional cost.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
1
Lake Tekapo
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- We provide weather updates, so please make sure you check your email.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Rina_Y
The tour was truly wonderful. When I had a question and sent a message, I received a reply very quickly. I was also very satisfied with the tour itself.
The guide’s explanations about the stars were clear and detailed, and they answered all the participants’ questions carefully. They also provided hot chocolate and other thoughtful services, which made it possible to spend the cold late night comfortably and without worry.
The souvenir light and the photos will be lifelong memories for me. Thank you very much.
Reviews
5.0
based on 198 reviews
Rob_S, Apr 2026
Brilliant evening. Went my my two kids 8 & 10 and parents and catered for all. The star gazing was really informative with great commentary. A mix of by eye and with two different telescopes giving lots of different perspectives. The information provided was clear and easy to understand and really engaging. The hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows were an added bonus. My two kids chatted about it all the way back to our accommodation, thank you so much!!!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Kia Ora Rob, thank you for choosing to stargaze with us and we do hope that this experience will be a treasured memories for your family! We at Chameleon Stargazing do our best to make sure everyone, regardless of age and background, to fall in love with the night sky, while taking away some fun knowledge about the universe. We hope to meet you and your family again soon, amongst the stars! :D
Katharine_M, Mar 2026
Great stargazing experience in Lake Tekapo. Lucky to have a beautiful clear night to learn more about the stars! Great hosts Guthrie and George. Definitely recommend this tour.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Kia Ora there, thank you for your kind words, and we're happy that Guthrie and George had made this experience a stellar one :D We hope to meet you again soon, in the meantime, keep looking up!
Shuyao_Y, Mar 2026
We really enjoyed our tour with Chameleon stargazing! Our tour guide was knowledgeable and funny and we learned about many constellations and stars. We also loved the hot chocolate and roasted marshmallows, very thoughtful touches on a cold night!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Kia Ora Shuyao, thank you for joining us and we're glad to learn that the guides had managed to share many fun-filled information about our night skies! We look forward to host you again soon :D
Charlotte_H, Mar 2026
Really lovely evening learning lots about the stars especially in the southern hemisphere. Our guides were great providing us with blankets, hot chocolate and even marshmallows to roast on the fire after looking at over 10 objects through the two telescopes and answering any and all questions.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Kia Ora Charlotte, thank you for joining us on this stellar journey and glad to know that you'd seen so much and learnt so much through this experience as well :D Looking forward to see you again soon!
Jimmy_W, Mar 2026
We had a clear night and had never seen the night sky like this before! Guthrie did a great job pointing out the constellations in the telescopes and with the laser!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Kia Ora Jimmy, thank you for your kind review and with beautiful night sky, we're glad that Guthrie had managed to share interesting knowledge about the universe! We hope that this would a great memory for you, looking forward to see you next time :D
Nikki_w, Feb 2026
As with a lot of tours, they are weather dependent. Ours unfortunately did not go ahead because of clouds but what I loved is they allowed you to meet at the time of the tour and trial it out for 10 minutes before cancelling. Hopefully will have the opportunity to do this again on a good weather day!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Kia Ora Nikki, million thanks for your kind understanding on the weather, as it might not always play to our favour. We're glad that you'd also joined our 10mins free trial, and we'll definitely look forward to host you again soon next time should you're in the region! Till then, clear skies :)
Rina_Y, Feb 2026
The tour was truly wonderful. When I had a question and sent a message, I received a reply very quickly. I was also very satisfied with the tour itself.
The guide’s explanations about the stars were clear and detailed, and they answered all the participants’ questions carefully. They also provided hot chocolate and other thoughtful services, which made it possible to spend the cold late night comfortably and without worry.
The souvenir light and the photos will be lifelong memories for me. Thank you very much.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Kia Ora Rina, thank you for joining us on this stellar journey and happy to learn that you'd enjoyed our little gesture to make the night fun and comfortable for an outdoor experience :D We hope that this experience will be your gateway towards the cosmos, if ever lost, remember, your fellow nerds and red lights will always be there to guide you! See you soon :D
Amy_J, Feb 2026
The company will provide you an update half an hour before your tour to advise if it will go ahead due to weather.
If it doesn't go ahead, then the company will automatically refund you the tickets without you needing to do anything.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Kia Ora Amy, thank you for your understanding and we always strive our best to provide clear communication with our customers on the weather situation. Should you're travelling to this region again, we hope to see you again! :D
Jamie_H, Feb 2026
Very informative and funny astronomer/guide. Easy to find location without the need to drive far out of town. Highly recommend if you're in Lake Tekapo.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Kia Ora Jamie, thank you for your kind words and we hope that the guides had made you fell a little more in love with the night sky! We hope to see you again soon. Cheers!
Katelin_W, Feb 2026
So much fun!! Loved learning about the Southern sky and looking through the telescopes. The guides were fantastic and we had a great time!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Kia Ora, thank you for joining us in this fun adventure in learning bout the night sky! We hope that this will be a part of your memory in Lake Tekapo, see you out there :D
Fiona_R, Feb 2026
Loved the motivation and passion with that all sorts of information were shared, both scientific and cultural. The laughs in between made it fun and very entertaining, the hot chocolates, cozy blankets and marshmallows at the fireplace just added to the great experience. Will definitely recommend, thank you!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Kia Ora Fiona, we pride ourselves on sharing interesting fun facts about the night skies with our fellow traveler. We hope that this fun journey will keep you interested in exploring more of our cosmos; we hope to see you again some time soon! :D
Jacqueline_B, Jan 2026
We had an absolutely incredible stargazing tour yesterday and it was truly a highlight of our trip. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and shared so much fascinating information. The location was stunning, and although the day had been a bit cloudy, the night turned out to be absolutely perfect for stargazing.
We were incredibly lucky to witness the strongest solar storm in over 20 years, which meant we were able to enjoy the Aurora Australis throughout the entire tour – an unforgettable experience. Beautiful photos of us and the night sky were taken and later shared with us.
We were well taken care of with warm blankets on a cold night, delicious hot chocolate, and even roasted marshmallows by the fire at the end. Everything was perfectly organized, warm, and welcoming. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone – it was simply amazing.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Kia Ora there, thank you for your kind words and we're thrilled to learnt that you had a stellar time with us! We still remember vividly the night which was lit up by such strong colors from the Southern Lights, truly a night to remember indeed :D We hope that you'll be able to treasure this memory, forever! Keep looking up and see you out there amongst the stars!
Jackie_O, Jan 2026
This was a fabulous experience, we were lucky enough to see a 7 Aurora Australis, George was amazing and made the night very enjoyable and he's so knowledgeable. We were given blankets, a comfy chair, hot chocolate and marshmallows for toasting. By the fire. Highly recommend, we expected it to be cancelled as it was cloudy in the day and evening, but perfectly clear for our experience. Sent photos from the telescope and of our family. It really was amazing. Our daughter had done another in Tekapo 2 years prior but said this was so much better. You won't be disappointed!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Kia ora Jackie, happy to know you and your family had a great time with George. It's a miracle night, we didn't expect this either! We are ready to host you again in Tekapo!
Adora_M, Jan 2026
Our stargazing activity was actually canceled due to the weather, but I'd like to send a shout out to Chameleon Stargazing for being very responsible in communicating updates. Even though we were unable to rebook due to our schedules we will surely go with this company again when we have another chance.
George was very gracious, very professional. Thank you, I hope to be back soon .
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Kia ora there, such a shame that we couldn't have you this time, hopefully we can see you again under a clear night full of stars!
Christopher_A, Jan 2026
Amazing experience. Capped off with a nightsky photo of us. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Kia ora there, happy to know that you love the night sky photo and thank you for choosing us too!
M_S, Dec 2025
Our tour was cancelled due to weather but we would definitely rebook based on the brief time with the guide. We arrived at the site and was greeted by the company representative directing us where to park and where to go. We sat with the guide for a bit and was provided with large blankets. It was unfortunate that the clouds rolled in shortly after and the tour was cancelled. However, we learned a lot even with only about 15 minutes with the guide! The tour was well organized and professional. They offered a full refund with no issues. If we were staying another night we would have gladly rebooked!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Kia Ora there! Thank you for having faith in us, despite the sky was a bit shy that night, we hope that you'd a fun time learning some new knowledge with our nerds at Chameleon Stargazing :D We hope we'll be able to host you again sometime soon, should you're traveling by Lake Tekapo again. In the meantime, remember to keep looking up and stay curious.
Bethany_R, Nov 2025
From a guided tour of constellations and the galaxies we could see with the naked eye, to a close up look at Saturn and fascinating nebulas (with an added treat of a massive shooting star!), we were treated to a super knowledgeable experience and an epic display from the night sky! Guthrie and Mok were absolute superstars; they had so much knowledge to share and took excellent care of us. Snuggled up under warm blankets, a hot chocolate in hand, toasted marshmallows and the spectacular stars above, this is must-do in Lake Tekapo!
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Kia Ora there, thank you for your kind words, and we're excited that you had found the session was enjoyable! We hope to be able to see you again soon, in the meantime, remember to stay curious and keep looking up :D
Sara_B, Nov 2025
The clouds weren’t our friend, but it was still an amazing evening. Our hosts made the best of it, and we hit all of the major beats of the tour, but it was all expedited to get it in before the clouds completely obstructed our view. I’d been worried it was going to be canceled after I saw the forecast, so I was super grateful it went forward and we were able to get what we did. In fact, after I saw the forecast I started worrying that we should have gone with the tour at the observatory, but then I saw that the observatory isn’t above cloud cover anyway. The host graciously refunded a portion of the charge as well because of the cloud cover.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Kia Ora Sara, thank you for still having faith with us and joined us on this stargazing session. Sometimes the weather forecast might be uncertain, however we strive to do our best to show our customers what the night sky has to offer, despite some cloud that is obstructing our view. We're hoping you'll revisit again, and next time, we'll cross our fingers and toes for clear skies all the way for you! :)
Todd_I, Nov 2025
Good experience though the full moon and clouds really hurt the viewing. Nevertheless the less, we're able to see some deep space objects
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Kia Ora Todd, thank you for your understanding and joining us on this stargazing journey, we hope to see you again soon. In the meantime, stay curious and remember to keep looking up :)
Melissa_T, Oct 2025
Excellent tour, these guys are knowledgeable about the sky, organised, thoughtful and kind. Definitely worth attending!
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Kia Ora Melissa, million thanks for your kind words, it meant the whole universe for us! We hope to be able to host you again soon, in the meantime, remember to keep looking up into the night sky :)
Jennifer_H, Oct 2025
930pm stargazing in Lake Tekapo. Guthrie did a wonderful job discussing the visible stars, and constellations - providing historical and Maori significance. It was cold but 1-2 blankets and hot chocolate were provided. We were able to views 6-8 different objects via high powered telescope. The free cup and individual milky way photo were a great bonus! The smores fire at the end was via propane but the spread risk of a natural fire is life-altering in this area, so it was 100% appropriate for how windy it was. We didnt know if the tour would happen until 30 minutes prior due to cloud coverage but the clouds cleared and it ended up being perfect!
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Kia Ora Jennifer, thank you for joining us and Guthrie to stargaze at one of the darkest place in NZ! Our team do our utmost best to ensure every details are well managed to ensure everyone have a good time while observing safety precautions. We're glad that the clouds had made way to allow us to share meaningful time together! We hope to see you again soon :)
Alicia_H, Oct 2025
Absolutely amazing! We got lucky with clear skies and the stars were truly awe inspiring. Our facilitator was knowledgeable and able to field questions on a huge range of topics.
Tour included some naked eye observations, some telescope viewing, and then some marshmallow roasting. They had cozy couches you could lay back in to see the sky, in addition to thick blankets for everyone. We brought lots of layers and between those and the blankets we were quite comfortable. Hot cocoa they gave us was delicious too!
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Kia Ora Alicia, we're excited to learn that you found this stargazing experience wonderful and enjoyed it lots! Even with chilly temperature, we hope that our guides' passion had managed to warm your heart and reconnect with the stars. We look forward to see you again under the starlights :)
Jayne_B, Oct 2025
Such an informative night.The night began with some light cloud and the decision to cancel. We decided to continue and to our delight the cloud cleared. It was fantastic to be able to see the Milky Way and southern cross. Beautiful finish of the night with marshmallows by the fire. Thanks for our memorable evening,
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Kia Ora Jayne, thank you for having faith in the night sky and we're glad that the sky decided to clear for us to share our passion with you! We hope to see you amongst the starlights again :D
Randeep_G, Sep 2025
Mok and george were the perfect hosts and tour guides, we had the best experience and the spectacle in the night sky was amazing. Definitely recommend this tour :)
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Kia ora
We are very happy to host you under the Tekapo's starry night sky. We are grateful for your support, hope to see you again in the future!
Meire_D, Jul 2025
I went just for the roasted marshmallows and got much more than that. Lovely hosts and amazing learning. Highly recommended.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Kia ora Meire, we're happy that the roasted marshmallows exceeded your expectations ;D Loved that you'd found the stargazing experience to be sweet and engaging, we hope to be able to entice you to join us again with, unlimited marshmallows to savour and a sprinkle of stars to go with it :)
Debra_W, Jun 2025
It was wonderful. The guides were extremely knowledgeable, thorough, and engaging. The experience was fantastic.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Kia ora Debra, thank you for joining us on this journey to learn about the night sky! We hope to see you around soon. In the meantime, keep looking up :)
Diana_D, Jun 2025
Perfect activity for anyone that enjoys looking up to the stars! The wintry nights are great you are lucky to have clear weather. It can get a little chilly but the company is so helpful with blankets and eventually some campfire with marshmallows. The information is great and our guide (whom I have forgotten her name but she was of Malaysian background) was so fun and full of information. She made things lighthearted and joyful.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Kia Ora Diana! Thank you so much for joining us on this stellar journey, and we're happy to know that you'd a fun time w Mok! Albeit chilly from the snow, we hope that you'll treasure all those beautiful memories of starlights close to your heart. Looking forward to see you soon! In the meantime, keep looking up and stay curious :D
Jasdeep_B, Jun 2025
I was curious as to why this experience was so highly rated, but now I understand! Was extremely fortunate to have such a clear night sky to appreciate so many of the wonders of our universe. Really well organised and the guide was super interactive and enthusiastic. Just an overall perfect evening!
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Kia Ora! We're thrilled that you'd made a great decision to join us and excited to learn that you'd a fantastic time w our guide. We hope that you'd learnt a thing or two while joining us on this stellar journey, in the meantime, keep looking up and stay curious :D
SherryLynn_C, May 2025
This was one of our favorite activities during our trip to New Zealand, specifically in the Lake Tekapo area. To see the night sky and the milky way in such detail had us in awe. Our guide was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable that our time with her just flew by. We would definitely recommend this activity to anyone staying in and around that area.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Hello there! We're excited to learn that our stargazing tour was one of the highlight in your trip in NZ. The guides are always ready to share their knowledge and reconnect with the night sky! We hope to see you sometime again soon ;D
pambrown11, May 2025
Wow wow wow. We hit all the major destinations in NZ on our vacation and this tour was arguably one of the best things we did. The sky was mind-blowing, the guide was super knowledgeable, the telescopes were very cool, and the hot chocolate was a super nice touch. Great communication day-of about the weather and how to find them!
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Hello there, thank you so much for your kind words. We're so honored to be amongst the best memories in your NZ travel, and we hope that this experience will stay forever with you ;D remember to stay curious and keep looking up!
From $72.26
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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