Space Place at Carter Observatory

About this place

Space Place at Carter Observatory sits at 40 Salamanca Road in Kelburn, at the top of the Wellington Cable Car within the Wellington Botanic Garden. It is an astronomy centre and public observatory that also operates as a hire venue, managed as part of the Museums Wellington family alongside Wellington City Council's venues-for-hire programme.

### History

The observatory is named after the philanthropist Charles Rooking Carter, who on his death in 1896 left a bequest of £2,240 towards building an observatory in Wellington. The fund was administered to accumulate interest, and it was some thirty years before it was large enough to make the project viable. Renewed public and government interest led to the Carter Observatory Act 1938, and the first Carter Observatory Board was established in 1939. Land in the Wellington Botanic Garden was set aside, and the Council donated a historic Thomas Cooke refracting telescope. Despite the disruption of the Second World War, Carter Observatory opened to the public on 20 December 1941, and it is New Zealand's longest-serving national observatory.

### Facilities

The centre shares the stories of the southern skies through multimedia exhibits and interactive galleries, a digital full-dome planetarium, and the historic Thomas Cooke telescope, through which evening visitors can view Solar System and deep-sky objects.

### Meeting and event capability

Space Place can be hired in part or in full depending on group size. Published capacities are up to 60 seated guests, or up to 180 for a standing or cocktail-style function. There are several smaller rooms suitable for meetings or conferences, equipped with presentation technology for speeches and AV content. The planetarium can be used as a dining space, with the projected night sky overhead. Guest speakers and stargazing sessions can be arranged, and exclusive hire gives a group the run of the venue including planetarium shows and telescope viewings. Half-day rates are available for daytime hire.

### Suitability for MICE

Space Place is best suited to smaller, high-impact events rather than large-scale conferencing: incentive dinners, client hospitality, product launches, award evenings, board meetings and conference add-on functions. The planetarium and telescope give organisers a genuine point of difference for delegate programmes, and the Cable Car connection from Lambton Quay makes it straightforward to move a group up from the CBD. Browse more Wellington venues.