AstronoMay
Church Hill is going to focus on astronomy in the month of May. As we look to include astro-tourism into our business we have decided to dedicate time in May to astronomical activities. We have a passion for astronomy and feel the time is right to inject ourselves into the Rakiura market. This is a form of "star party" and having fun will be an essential ingredient in the success of the event.
We have an opportunity to put astronomy front and centre of tourism on the island and with May offering longer nights it is a great time to launch ourselves into the market.
If you are a keen stargazer and have considered Rakiura as a destination but was not sure how it would fit into your travel plans then maybe AstronoMay is a good option for you. AstronoMay is all about including astronomy into a mainstream visit to the island. This event is aimed squarely at the astronomers out their looking for an experience that is a little bit different. We will focus on astronomy, of course, but it will be wrapped in all the trimmings of the terrestrial nature of Rakiura and the comfort of stargazing within the boundaries of a township.
We have a passion for good food and have built our reputation on the food we produce so being able to combine this with a passion for astronomy is something very special and the thing that we see as being a distinct point of difference to our take on astro-tourism.
Drop In Days
During the period that AstronoMay is being run we will look at having drop in days. This is to encourage those new to astronomy the opportunity to come and see some equipment and talk about what is interesting to them and where they may want to go with their own astronomy.
Everyone is welcome to drop in when the opportunities are available.
Please call 03 2191 123 or 021 124 2570 to check available times
Activities of AstronoMay
| Astrophotography | 6-16th |
From creating memories of what we see to art. We will always involve photography in our observations. | |
| The Moon | |
| At the start of May the moon will be low and dim, growing brighter as the month goes on. | not full until 20th |
| The Stars | 6-16th |
Matariki sets in May, signalling the end go the Maori year. The constellations and their relationship to mythology. Navigation by the stars. Life for us was enabled by the death of stars. | |
| eVscope | 6-16th |
| It may look like a toy but this telescope is used from Earth Defence to capturing deep space beauty | |
| Deep Space | 6-16th |
The most beautiful objects in space reside here. Nebula and star clusters are worth getting up for. | |
| Rakiura Wildlife | as required |
| When we can't look up we look around |
