Looking up under the clear night sky at Cardrona in summer on a stargazing tour.

We are very lucky here in New Zealand with how little light pollution chokes our starry night skies.

Even close to big cities here you can still get a good look at the Milky Way, and you are never far from a dark place with little light to get in the way of seeing the stars. ​

However, nothing beats seeing the night skies from the top of a mountain. And now our skies are more accessible than ever on a stargazing tour from Cardrona.

Liz Carlson Cardrona glitters under a perfect summer's night sky.

One of New Zealand's finest skifields in winter and mountain bike park in summer, Cardrona is tucked halfway between Wanaka and Queenstown, in one of the best locations on the South Island for stargazing.

It's far enough south that you might even be lucky enough to see the Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, dancing on the horizon, an event that can happen any time of year, any day of the year.

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Liz Carlson In winter, looking out towards Queenstown from Cardona.

Stargazing is a perfect pastime, whether you're a novice, travelling tourist or have a keen interest in astronomy.

A stargazing tour from Cardrona is one of the best opportunities to learn about the southern skies from an expert in a peaceful and scenic location.

Peer through a world-class telescope and learn to pick out some of the most famous constellations, galaxies, star clusters and nebulae.

Liz Carlson The Southern Lights softly glow on the horizon above Cardrona.

While the views of the mighty Southern Alps can easily move even the coldest of hearts to tears, so can looking up at the heavens on a clear, moonless night with nothing but stars and planets twinkling in the distance.

As an avid stargazer who only knew the most basics of astronomy, and who often can't even find the Southern Cross, learning about them from the top of Cardrona was an experience I won't soon forget.

The writer was hosted on this stargazing tour by Cardrona