Tūhura Tuarangi

Science Outreach Programme

Tūhura Otago Museum presents a space science showcase that is truly out of this world!

Launched in October 2022, the Tūhura Tuarangi - Aotearoa in Space Showcase gives you the chance to build a satellite, launch a rocket, and see how you can create rocket fuel from water. Get up close with four-billion-year-old meteorites, recreate the astronomical cycles of our Solar System, or even hold a part of a secret Russian space craft. There are also virtual reality experiences where you can take your first giant leaps into space and explore our entire solar system and beyond.

Tūhura Tuarangi is packed with hands-on interactives to play, build, launch, and explode with your whole whānau. Explore Aotearoa New Zealand's deep connections to space — from our earliest Polynesian navigators to the amazing space technologies and world-leading research developed right here in Aotearoa. As part of the showcase you can also share your hopes and dreams for what Aotearoa’s future in space might look like – and how YOU can be a part of telling our space story.

This showcase started at Tūhura Otago Museum in Ōtepoti Dunedin and is now travelling nationwide, bringing the magic of space, exploration, and science to towns and cities across the motu.

The Tūhura Tuarangi – Aotearoa in Space showcase has recently reached new heights, earning recognition as a winner of the international science engagement competition, Falling Walls: Engage. It has also secured its place as a finalist for the esteemed SCANZ Excellence in Science Communication Award.

Upcoming Public Showcases (Open during business hours)

2024

2 Sept - 21 Sept: Dunedin (Tūhura Otago Museum)

Previous Locations

2022

19 Sept – 28 Oct: Dunedin (Tūhura Otago Museum)
31 Oct – 1 Nov: Bluff (Te Rau Aroha Marae)
2 Nov – 5 Nov: Invercargill (James Hargest High School)
10 Nov – 11 Nov: Oamaru (Pembroke Primary School)
21 Nov – 22 Nov: Cromwell (Goldfields Primary School)
23 Nov – 25 Nov: Wānaka (Mount Aspiring College)
1 Dec – 18 Dec: Queenstown (iFLY Indoor Skydiving Foyer)
22 Dec – 29 Jan: Ashburton (Ashburton Museum)

2023

30 Jan – 9 Feb: Rolleston (Te Ara Ātea Library)
10 Feb – 27 Feb: Christchurch (Tūranga Central Library)
12 Mar – 13 Mar: Greymouth (Greymouth High School Hall)
14 Mar – 15 Mar: Hokitika (Westland High School Hall)
16 Mar – 17 Mar: Westport (Buller High School Hall)
29 Mar – 1 Apr: Blenheim (Marlborough Girls’ College Hall)
7 Apr – 14 May: Wellington (Space Place)
18 May – 20 May: Tūrangi (Tongariro School Hall)
21 May – 8 Jun: Hamilton (Hamilton Central Library)
10 Jun – 18 Jun: Rotorua (Te Aka Mauri, Rotorua Library)
20 Jun – 27 June: Tauranga (He Puna Manawa, Tauranga City Library)
1 Jul – 30 Jul: Auckland (MOTAT)
2 Aug – 12 Aug: Kaitaia (Te Ahu Museum)
14 Aug – 29 Aug: Whangārei (Whangārei Central Library)
2 Sep – 31 Oct: Palmerston North (Te Manawa Museum)
4 Nov – 7 Jan: Napier (National Aquarium of New Zealand)

2024

11 Jan – 11 Mar: Taupō (Taupō Museum)
20 Mar – 23 Mar: Auckland (ASB Polyfest)
17 Apr – 13 May: Gisborne (HB Williams Memorial Library)
14 May: Whāngārā (Te Kura o Whāngārā)
15 May: Māhia (Te Māhia School)
21 May - 23 May: Wellington (The Beehive)
31 May - 11 Jul: Kaikōura (Kaikōura District Library)
13 Jul - Aug: Takapō (Dark Sky Project)