Celebrating Matariki: Best Places in the World to Go Stargazing

Bryce Canyon is a series of large natural amphitheaters with thousands of multi-colored rock pinnacles called “hoodoos”. These formations shine under sunny skies but really come to life under the soft light of the rising or setting sun.  

In the park people can see up to 7,500 stars on a moonless night, with the milky way stretching across the horizons. Among the stars, some planets, including Venus and Jupiter, can be seen and are shining brightly enough to cast a shadow. 

Another great spot for photography lovers in Utah is the Natural Bridges National Monument in Lake Powell. It was the first certified International Dark Sky Park and the main attraction here is the "river of light" phenomenon created by the Milky Way. 

The Pic du Midi Observatory is located 2877 meters on top of the Pic du Midi de Bigorre in the French Pyrénées, a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. 

Travelling by cable from La Mongie to the summit, this mountaintop observatory perched above the clouds is great for an overnight stay. 

The observatory has been credited for discovering several minor planets and is where NASA scientists take photographs of the surface of the Moon in preparation for the Apollo missions. 

 The reserve also encompasses both a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Pyrénées-Mont Perdu) and a French national park (Pyrénées National Park). 

Uluru is very much a bucket list destination for anyone going to Australia. It’s the Red Centre and cultural heart of Australia being sacred to Aboriginals and is thought to have started forming around 550 million years ago. It’s also one of the best places in the world for stargazing. 

There are few places where the stars shine as brightly as they do in the outback. Far removed from the bright lights of the big cities, the stars blaze in the desert sky.

At Ayers Rock Resort, mini-astronomers can get an up-close peek at the planets via a telescope at the Outback Sky Journeys experience. This family-friendly tour takes place half an hour after sunset, with a later tour happening two hours after sunset. 

Since May, we have actually seen a 28% increase in Kiwis booking Uluru as part of their itinerary. Why? Because it’s quite accessible for us with connecting flights from major Aussie cities to Alice Springs and also because it's stunning of course! 

Excluding the North and South Poles, The Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth, with the driest sections receiving less than a millimeter of rain a year. 

But with few clouds and near-zero radio interference or light pollution, this results in  crystal-clear views of the most famous constellations of the Southern Hemisphere sky. 

Hundreds of thousands of stars can be viewed via telescope since the desert experiences more than 200 cloudless nights each year. A number of telescopes have been installed to help astronomers from across the globe study the universe 

Many astronomers and Astro-tourists consider Chile's Atacama Desert to be the best place in the world to stargaze. Tourists from around the world flock to this bucket-list astronomy destination, so talk to your travel expert as many providers offer tours and hotels that include personal stargazing experiences.

The Hawaiian Islands are one of the world’s premier astronomy destinations, with the Mauna Kea summit the most famous stargazing spot in the region. 

Mauna Kea Observatory is the largest research observatory in the world, home to thirteen of the largest and most powerful telescopes. 

You can see many of the Northern Hemisphere's wonders, including the Milky Way, the bands of Jupiter, and the constellations of Ursa Major and Orion. But also around 80 percent of Southern Hemisphere stars are visible from here too. 

One hot tip though, be wary of altitude sickness, so it’s recommended when making the journey up to the observatory to proceed with caution and to stop at the Visitor Information Centre for at least half an hour to acclimate, and don’t overexert yourself. 

Aurora borealis, or the Northern Lights, is an incredible natural light display that fills the dark Arctic skies with vast waves of green, yellow and red. The breathtaking light show of aurora borealis has inspired myths and legends for thousands of years.   

By far the best displays of the Northern Lights are above the Arctic Circle in Arctic Norway, Iceland, Canada and Alaska. The golden rule is - the further north you travel, the more likely you are to see the fantastic light show. 

Between September and March is the best time to see the Northern Lights, but many locals swear that November to March offers the most favourable weather conditions. A dark, dry, cloudless night with no moon is the ideal forecast to see an awesome display. 

To see the Northern Lights, we recommend going on a dedicated Northern Lights cruise. Sit back, relax, and marvel over this spectacle from the comfort of a cruise ship. Northern Lights cruises come in two kinds – large cruise liners that offer scenic cruising and smaller expedition cruise ships that take passengers into remote regions. 

Right here in Aotearoa, you can embark on our country’s premier mountaintop stargazing experience from the summit of Mount Cook in Lake Tekapo. Mt John offers unrivalled 360-degree views across the largest accredited International Dark Sky Reserve in the world.   

Take in the incredible Milky Way, far off planets, star clusters, solar systems, and even distant galaxies; right from our homeland. 

It does require a certain level of fitness, a more accessible tour is the Crater Experience at Cowan’s Private Observatory. 

There’s also Tekapo Stargazing, the ultimate in stellar relaxation. It’s a guided hot pools and star gazing experience where you get a tour of the night skies and then get to look at the skies while relaxing in the hot pools, soaking in the stars as you explore the wonder of night skies. Make sure you talk to us about this one so we can add it to your next South Island trip!