Stonehenge Aotearoa in Upper Hutt

Super friendly receptionist, and it was awesome seeing Stone henge 🤙🏽🤙🏽

Cool place to check out, worth it for the price.

Am a local ,but visit frequently over many years.Local Maori history and understand ing of the Galaxy included in talk or tv or exhibits

Interesting and educational attraction, amazing acoustics and location, well worth a visit.

Visited late June 2022 A very interesting and beautiful place to visit A lot of information available

Multi language for the introduction video. Functional, good for astronomy lovers.

The sounds and reverberations are amazing in the Stonehenge. Will definitely make an effort to go make - hopefully when they have some musical events.

An informative and interesting look at the solar system Looking forward to going at night to see the night sky vision

$15 per person, even for locals. The museum was the most interesting thing, but there wasnt really that much to see to justify the price.

Great experience for new knowledge. Lots of information. Friendly staff. Hard to find the entrance as the street to enter looked like a private property. Entrance and exit is 1 way street only.

Fascinating site for star gazing. Hosts are passionate and knowledgeable about what they have to offer.

Great experience to learn about the actual use of the Stonehenge

Really interesting and fascinating among how the stones mark the equinoxes and the soltices. Id love to see sunrise and sunset here.

An educational and immersing experience. Was able to learn about the origin and importance of Stonehenge together with the Zodiac signs. The building itself is quite mystical. Good thing we visited when it was not busy as I am not much of a sociable person and I dislike the crowd.

Even tho it was raining, we enjoyed the video presentation under cover & rain held off enough to walk around this amazing structure.

I feel watching a detailed video that includes a large volume of information & then expect to remember/utilise/apply that information on the Henge site is totally unrealistic. If guided tours are not going to operate on a twice daily basis (especially over the summer periodat the very least a recorded device (with earplugswith the same video information should be issued so customers can benefit from a full, informative, professional experience. The current presentation experience of a quite spectacular attraction is unprofessional & very much "behind the times".Steve FranklinRotorua

Absolutely overpriced! Drove 14km out from the main motorway to visit only to be greeted with a pothole ridden rough gravel driveway, then a very rude and blunt lady behind the counter who had no interest in anything but our money, $55 it ended up costing too see some concrete blocks placed in a circle, very underwhelming we ended up looking at the haunted house across the road from the gate for longer than we were at the stonehenge!

Not convinced with this experience. Although stonehenge has a special significance, this place did not feel very special at all

Really interesting place. Would love to go back for a sunrise and sunset visit.

Not quite what i was expecting. To others they will probably love it . Plenty of parking for large motorhomes and the drive way was great , metal but all good.

Awesome place. Great feel to it. Couple running it knowledgeable and friendly. Do not expect original Stonehenge but this is set up for NZ. Must do if in area. Will be looking out for events o line.

If you’re in to astronomy, science, history, or Wicca, this place is perfect, if this doesn’t sound like something you’re into, it might not be for you. There was obviously a lot of effort put into it, but just not something I’m interested in.I have heard the star gazing tours are great though

Very friendly and welcoming reception. Informative.

It was really educational. Must go if your kids are science buffs... Its a nice family hangout. There is a small auditorium with information on Mars and planets. Loved it.

Wasnt aware that this place exist. Its a beautiful informative place to visit. It was an an honour to get a tour of the history and the place from the guy who built it.Would definately love to go back for a concert that happens there. 👍😊

We went for a special event for the occasion of the 5 visible planets all able to be seen at the same time, and we werent disappointed. The talk was informative, and the viewing was made enjoyable by our personable and knowledgeable hosts. A great visit.

Booked an evening tour of the stars and unfortunately it was very cloudly so we werent able to see much, but our hosts still made it a fun night doing as much outside as they could before the clouds and rain kicked in, before an interesting and fun night inside. Id be interested in coming back, fingers crossed next time well have clear skies!

A very unique attraction in New Zealand. A modern reproduction of the British Stonehenge. It will set you back $15 a head to have a look around. Do check out the audio visual presentation before heading into the magic circle.

Now there is something different to explore. The video provides an awesome explanation and the Mars display is great. The Stonehenge is awesome and the acoustics are interesting and incredible. Great for kids and adults alike. Friendly and helpful staff. Toilets on site. Cute wee souvenir shop. Recommend going there

Did the night safari, unfortunately it was cloudy, but still interesting. The henge is pretty impressive. But, its not very accessible, as we all had to stand outside for two hours, and it was very hard to concentrate by that stage. Chairs are absolutely needed for the outside portion, especially if there is no stargazing due to the weather. The outside talks could have been much shorter, and the indoor parts much longer.Definitely didnt need so much time, if there are no stars to see. I think its perfectly acceptable to shorten it when its cloudy.It was still a very interesting talk, and worth the visit for sure.Very big group, so the Mars exhibition (small, but interesting), was quite overcrowded.Hari was very engaging and passionate.

Unfortunately it was cloudy, so no star gazing option. However, the main guide was very passionate and genuinely enthusiastic, particularly regarding Mars and their personal experiences which were great to hear about. Main suggestion would be that the henge part is condensed when its too cloudy to star gaze, as I had started to crave sitting down at that point. Even if its cloudy, still worth going for the information - but definitely pack warm clothes, even in Summer. Would love to see it on a less cloudy night.

Perfect to be educated in astronomy with this curious stones built in 2005. A movie comes along with a lot of explanations to help you during an autonomous visit.Should be even better with the night safari.

Fascinating place, great location, extremely windy today!

Tough to be negative about a place when the weather is so good...This is one of those places that we have passed signposts for a couple of times without visiting. We decided to change that.Its rubbish. In a charming way.It is s bit of a spectacle - not in the same league as the actual stone henge. In a similar way to the way that stone henge makes you ask how? It makes you ask why?The kids had fun running around in the open space, the air was clean and the views were amazing. But there isnt a lot to do other than hang out in the beautiful countryside and enjoy the company of he people running the place who were really friendly.It needs to be seen to be believed. Although it would be more fun to see & believe if it had a cafe or a play area.

Definitely an interesting experience, although not a pleasant one.A lot of official signposting, leading into a private property and a 15 dollar “self guided tour” entry fee.Very underwhelming, especially for the price, as the vast majority of the structures sounded hollow to the drumming of knuckles.Would recommend not visiting unless you’re quite interested in astrology, or there for a night time event. THIS SITE IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. (case in point)Also weird vibes off the lady at the front, hope your issues clear up.

Wish I would have done the guided tour to get more context and history. If you are doing self guided make sure you don’t skip the video so you get some details before heading in.

The experience is just fine for the $15 entrance fees. Itd be worth the value more if youre interested in astronomy

Fascinating place and subject and the weather was stunning. Richard is a great presenter. Well worth a visit ...and pay extra for the guided talk as it helps make sense of the whole structure and its purpose

Long drive from Wellington. Wasnt expecting it to be on farm. Its very clever all the astrology side of things but wasnt what I had expected. The lady running it was very friendly.

Well worth the visit and I would definitely advise taking the guided tour as its packed with astrological and astronomical info presented brilliantly by host Richard supported by his wife Kay. 2 hours well spent.

Went to an evening event to look at the stars, the weather wasnt that great it was a great chance to finally see the stonesonsite, venue to hire, toilets small shop great view

On the evening of 22nd of December 2018, I undoubtedly had one of the worst customer service experiences of my life! My inlaws, who flew in from Christchurch, my partner and myself arrived for the summer solstice event which was listed as free, as you can see from the photos below from Eventfinda. When we arrived to Stonehenge Aoteoroa with our potluck dinner we were asked if we had made a booking and that it was $20 each per adult. We told the rude lady that the listing said this event was free, to which she then replied, "Sorry darling, I do all the listings and its definitely not free". Well, misses "I do all the listings", how do you explain the listing on eventfinda? After showing the listing, no compromise was offered, we were just rudely dismissed.To the lady who spoke to my partner in a disrespectful, condescending manner, youre an absolute disgrace to the tourism industry and a poor example of customer service. As a Wairarapa local, I am ashamed and embarrassed that my inlaws had to experience your appauling behavour. I hope no one else has to drive an hour to experience the disgusting behavour you put on display for us."Its a special place and you are assured of a memorable experience if you make the effort to venture there this Saturday." - Yeah Right! Should be a tui billboard.UPDATE: In reply to your response, we might have considered paying if you werent so damn rude! Why would I give my hard earned money to someone like that? And at what point did you tell us that the music was free? Stop lying. It is bad look for you guys and I will strongly not be recommending you to anyone at all. Embarassment to the Wairarapa.

Nice place and really nice weather. Worth to visit. 時間石柱看日落！人生幾何😇😇By the way, we are very impressed with the talk given by Richard. It was very thought provoking and is the gem of the day. Thank you.

Very interesting and informative exhibition. Our dogs were welcome on lead which was great as we could all experience the Stonehenge.

Will share more photos next visit. Just called in to inquire about times and tours. So more to come.

This was an amazing experience. If you understand anything about the ancient ways of watching and recording the stars/planets then you will be blown away by what has been created in the rolling sheep dotted hills of New Zealand. A Stonehenge is any grouping of rocks in a circle... So this is not a replica of the famous England Stonehenge but a Stonehenge in itself. This ancient technology has been crafted perfectly and is designed to track a number of happenings which modern technology still does not track. Go visit. Listen with an open mind and youll learn a lot from the experience as well as the people.

Closed due to wind! Im not sure how winds affect a ground based concrete structure, but we were disappointed after driving out here to find it closed, the forecast looked fine. Probably pays to phone ahead.

The Stonehenge Aotearoa is not a replica of Stonehenge of UK but it is ongoing construction of site to study and understand the stars and its constellation. The couple who runs this place are the scientist who has more than 4 decades of experience of this place. Just dont go there for taking pictures and watching the short film but interact with them and youll learn more about this. There is a entry fee of 10 dollars each though.

Briliant. Absolutely amazing.Stonehenge Aotearoa, built by members of The Phoenix Astronomy Society near Carterton, New Zealand, is a modern adaptation of the Stonehenge ruins on the Salisbury Plain of England.The henge, built over 2 years and opened on 12 February 2005 by Nobel Laureate Professor Alan MacDiarmid, contains 24 pillars and is 30 metres (98 ftin diameter and about 4 metres (13 fthigh. The pillars are capped with lintels, completing the circle, and a 5 metres (16 ft)-tall obelisk marks the center of the henge. The modern henge was designed to demonstrate how ancient peoples used such constructions to understand astronomy. Since Stonehenge Aotearoa is at a different latitude and longitude than the original Stonehenge, it is not an exact replica some measurements had to be changed to preserve certain astronomical properties.Its design was inspired not only by the original Stonehenge, but also by navigational and astronomical techniques of Polynesia and of the New World. Stonehenge Aotearoa also differs from its Salisbury cousin in construction; the pillars, lintels and central obelisk are not hewn stone, but are hollow structures with concrete molding forming their exterior.It was intended to generate revenue for The Phoenix Astronomy Society to raise money for the Matariki Research Observatory.With regards to the seven fingers which are on the left of the golden statue in my photo above: The seven fingers on the left represent the matariki (the eyes of god for the Maoris, Althurayya for the Arabs as well as the seven sisters or the Pleiades.In astronomy, these refer to an open star cluster located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky. The cluster is dominated by hot blue and extremely luminous stars that have formed within the last 100 million years.The Pleiades are a prominent sight in winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and have been known since antiquity to cultures all around the world, including the Celts, Māori, Aboriginal Australians, the Persians, the Arabs, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Maya, the Aztec, the Sioux and the Cherokee. They were utilised to identify the location by sailors and people in the dessert.The rising of the Pleiades before dawn (usually at the beginning of Junehas long been regarded as the start of the new year in Māori culture, with the star group being known as Matariki. The rising of Matariki is celebrated as a midwinter festival in New Zealand. In Hawaiian culture the cluster is known as the Makalii and their rising shortly after sunset marks the beginning of Makahiki, a 4-month time of peace in honor of the god Lono.Summarised from wikipedia.

10NZD for a circle of concrete . Maybe I am to young to get fascinated by that, but it wasnt worth it for me paying the entrance. It was open, there was a shop full with souvenirs and and old lady at the counter.