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Ngāi Tahu Tourism respects the privacy of its customers and complies with the New Zealand Privacy Act 1993 (“the Act”). This Privacy Policy explains how we (Ngāi Tahu Tourism and our subsidiary companies) collect, use, disclose and protect your personal information.

Personal information is any piece of information that relates to a living individual (natural person) who can be identified, directly or indirectly. For the purposes of the Act, the “Data Controller” in respect of your personal information is Ngāi Tahu Tourism.

You authorise Ngāi Tahu Tourism and its subsidiaries to collect, use, and disclose your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and also to the extent not prohibited by the Act.

We will collect the personal information you provide us and we may also collect personal information online from your computer, mobile or other device.

1. The personal information we collect about you

Ngāi Tahu Tourism operates the website www.earthandsky.co.nz. As part of our operations we may gather certain types of information about the users of our sites:

Personally Identifiable Information. This is provided by you when you register for services that we may offer. Examples of these services could include email newsletters or competitions. Providing this information will always be optional for you. However, some services may not be available to you if you chose not to provide it.
Aggregated Data. This information is generated by our systems as they track traffic through our sites. This information does not identify you personally and is not linked to the personally identifiable information that you may have provided.
Google shows our ads on sites on the internet and use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to our websites. Users may opt out of Google's use of cookies by changing their ad preferences in their Google account.
Facebook shows our ads on Facebook Products and use cookies to serve ads based on a user’s prior visits to our websites. Users may opt out of Facebook’s use of cookies by changing the ad settings in their personal accounts on relevant Facebook Products.

2. What do we do with personally identifiable information?

We have collected this information in order to provide the best possible service to you while you are visiting our sites. To this end we may use the information that you provide for the following purposes:

To process any transactions that you might make on our site and to help provide any other services that you have requested.
To offer the most relevant information suitable to you and your interests.
For any marketing, promotional, publicity, direct marketing or market research that we might undertake.
To bill you.
To respond to communications received from you.
To conduct research and statistical analysis (on an anonymous basis).
For any other purposes for which you have given permission.

3. Your obligations regarding the information you provide us about others

If you provide us with personal information about another person (for example a spouse, relative or travelling companion) then you are responsible for ensuring you have authority to do so and that the person consents to our use of their information as set out in this Privacy Policy, making that person aware that you have disclosed their personal information to us and that we will use their personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

4. Access to and correction of your personal information

Subject to certain grounds for refusal set out in the Act, you have the right to access your readily retrievable personal information that we hold and to request a correction to your personal information. We reserve the right, however, to deny or limit access or amendments to your personal information where we are entitled by law to do so. To make a request or to find out more about how to do this, please contact us at:

Data Protection Officer
Ngāi Tahu Tourism
PO Box 3075
Christchurch, New Zealand
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

5. Security

We take all reasonable steps with our physical, technical, organisational and electronic security to protect your personal information against loss, damage, misuse, unauthorized access, erroneous disclosure, alteration, or destruction. As part of our security measures, we use secure servers and industry standard data encryption for transmission of personal information on Ngāi Tahu Tourism websites, for example when you pay by credit card online. Known as TLS (Transport Layer Security) or SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protocol, you can check this is active by looking for the padlock symbol on many browsers. TLS allows a secure connection between your internet browser and our internet server, using a private (or secret) key to encrypt the information. You are responsible for ensuring the security of the personal information held on your computer, mobile or other device.

6. Links to other websites

The Ngāi Tahu Tourism websites provide links to other websites for your ease and convenience. These websites may have different security standards and privacy policies. We recommend that you read the privacy policies for these websites before deciding whether to divulge information to these websites. We are not responsible for the information you choose to divulge to these websites.

7. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We will make changes to this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make changes, we will update the Privacy Policy on our websites. We will also specify the date of the last update.

This Privacy Policy was last updated on 19 September 2018.

Acceptance

Ngāi Tahu Tourism Limited welcomes you to Earth & Sky. This site is owned by Ngāi Tahu Tourism Limited ("we", "us" and "our"). By accessing this website you agree to the terms of access listed below.

General Disclaimer

The content on this site is intended to provide information only. While we try to ensure that the content of this site is free from error, we do not warrant its accuracy, adequacy or completeness or its suitability for your intended use.

How We Use Your Information

When transmitting your personal information over the Internet, you should remember that the Internet is not a secure environment. Any personal information you transmit to us may be used by us to provide information to you about the full range of products and services offered by us and our related companies, as well as to assist us to create a statistical picture of our customers. We do not sell, publish or give away your information. Information about you provided to us can be used by us and our related companies and our suppliers to carry out our business. Our Privacy Policy will apply to any personal information that you may supply.

Liability

We disclaim, to the extent permitted by law, all liability or responsibility to anyone for any direct or indirect loss or damage that may result from any advice, opinion, information, representation or omission, whether negligent or otherwise, contained on this website.

Changes to Content

All content on this website (including these terms of access) is subject to change at any time and without notice.

Jurisdiction

Unless otherwise specified, the content on this site has been prepared in accordance with New Zealand law for the supply of products and services to persons resident in New Zealand only. The content of this website and any contracts formed with us arising out of this site are governed by, and are to be interpreted in accordance with, New Zealand law and the New Zealand courts have jurisdiction.

Copyright

The content of our site is protected by copyright and no part of our site may be reproduced or adapted in whole or in part without our prior consent. All rights in this site are owned by Ngāi Tahu Tourism Limited.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about these terms of access, please contact us.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. When can I see an Aurora?

A. We do not run tours specifically to see an Aurora. An Aurora is a very rare phenomenon often only predictable a day or two in advance. Auroras are dependent on the activity of the Sun and require big solar flares or winds to shoot out in our direction, arrive here on Earth and excite the gases at our North and South Poles. It is this interaction between the energy from the Sun and the gas particles in the atmosphere that emits the beautiful colours and for this to be visible we need very dark, clear conditions, and for the Aurora to reach us here at Mt John. The Sun lets off many flares every day that do not cause this phenomena! However we do hope you are lucky enough to see one during a tour, we recommend you to keep your eye on websites that give updates and alerts for upcoming Auroras and book when one is predicted! Remember, the further South you are the more likely it is you will witness the unforgettable Southern Lights!

Q. How big are the telescopes we get to look through?

A. You will get the opportunity to look through various telescopes on your tour. We have portable 9 ¼ inch telescopes which, depending on the eye piece chosen by your guide, can range from 60-120x magnification. The guide will decide on what magnification to use depending on the size, brightness and distance an object may be from our perspective. You will also get to go inside one of the domes which houses a 16" Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector on Mt John or a 14” telescope dome at Cowan’s Observatory (when available).

Q. Can I look through the MOA telescope?

A. Unfortunately not even the Astronomers who carry out the research on Mt John University Observatory get to view through the MOA telescope. The MOA telescope takes images of planets and other objects in deep space, these images are then viewed on computer screens in a different room. The MOA is so delicate and sensitive that when it is in operation no people can be in the same room as it because our body heat makes it too hot! If it is a cloudy night and no research is being undertaken, you will be allowed inside to have a look at the MOA telescope and learn a bit more about it.

Q. Can I see stars when it’s cloudy?

A. When we have a full cloud cover unfortunately stars are not visible. There are no telescopes which we can see through clouds. In case of partial cloud cover, you may be able to see some stars, planets, constellations or a number of other objects between the gaps. If there is anything visible in the sky during your tour the number one priority of our guides is to point you out any visible object in the sky. Our tour guides will try their best to show you as much as they can.

Q. Do you provide transport to Lake Tekapo from Christchurch or Queenstown?

A. Unfortunately not. Both Christchurch and Queenstown are approximately a 3 hour drive from Lake Tekapo. You could try Intercity for public transport to and from Lake Tekapo. The only transport we provide is from our booking office in Lake Tekapo village to the Mt John University Observatory and the Cowan’s Observatory for our night time tours.

Q. Can we join the Mt John Observatory Day Tour ?

A. Sorry we don’t have Day Tour available.

Q. Can I just drive up Mt John with my own car to see the stars at night?

A. Unfortunately not as Mt John is private property from the University of Canterbury and the Observatory is a fully functioning research facility at night. Public access is restricted after 5pm in winter and 6pm in summer, and you can only go up after these times by joining one of our tours.

Q. Will I see the Milky Way ?

A. The Milky Way is the collective starlight of the billions of stars that make up our galaxy and is visible clearly from the Southern hemisphere. That is, if the sky is not too light polluted by the moon and it is clear of clouds you will be able to see the bright band of the Milky Way stretched across the night sky. During a full moon a lot of starlight does get washed out, however a full or near-full moon in itself is an incredible sight to see and through a telescope is fascinating!

Q. How cold will it be on my tour?

A. The temperature can vary, but will also depend on the wind speed as well. Wind chill can drop temperatures sub zero. Even in summer we can get very low temperatures so warm clothing and steady warm shoes are essential any time of the year.

Q. Can I take photos on my tour?

A. We don’t recommend people to take their own photo during the tour as it will cut short of your stargazing experience. We have astrophotographer available on the Night Time Tours at Mt. John that can take photographs for you using your DSLR camera while you are on tour. If you do bring you own DSLR camera and would like to do your own photography during the tour please make sure you communicate with our guide before you start taking photo and follow their instruction.

Q. Where can I park my car?

A. If you join us on a tour you can park your car outside the booking office, in the Tekapo Western Carpark. If you are driving up to Mt John during the day time, there is a car park at the summit.

Q: I joined the Mt John Night Tour and took a group photo, how can I access the photo?

You can access any photos taken on your tour, by our astrophotographer, via our Flickr page.

Q. Do you have tours all year round?

A. Yes, we are open all year round, limited opening hours on Christmas Day (25th of December).

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Be they a partner, a friend, whānau (a family member), an employee or someone you think deserves a treat, you can be sure whoever you give a Rainbow Springs Nature Park gift voucher to will be over the moon.

Earth & Sky can arrange gift vouchers for any of our experiences, including Mt John Observatory Tour (all year), Cowan’s Observatory Tour (summer), Twilight Tour (summer) and Little Star Tour (winter).

Just email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone +64 3 680 6960 and one of our friendly team members will help you get it all sorted.

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