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Download AudioAuckland’s Stardome Observatory will reopen on Monday after a $2 million refurbishment that places mātauranga Māori alongside western scientific tradition.
Stardome chief executive Victoria Travers says hands-on public galleries will give visitors a chance to connect with the latest observations in science and astronomy.
The galleries also include relevant pūrākau, and the starmap has been upgraded to show over 100 Māori names of whetū (stars), aorangi (planets), and constellations.
“It’s a really specific experience. You will only be able to have this in Aotearoa and it’s about our night skies and the pūrākau and the knowledge of what is here in our beautiful, beautiful skies,” Ms Travers says.
Repairs to the roof are continuing after thieves stripped the copper from the observatory dome, and the Zeiss telescope will be out of action they are completed.
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