Auckland's Stardome Observatory and Planetarium is set to reopen its EWB Zeiss telescope on Friday — just under a year after a "significant amount" of copper was stolen from the telescope's dome.
Thieves climbed scaffolding that was in place for repairs to the building's roof on May 22 last year, pulling "more than half" of the copper off the telescope, rolling it into balls and tossing it down to the ground.
Police described the act as "deplorable" at the time.
The cost to repair the dome was around $680k, including a full mechanical and structural refurbishment alongside the installation of a permanent security and monitoring system.
Stardome chief executive Victoria Travers said the restoration of the dome "reflects the tautoko of the community... and a shared love of space".
"We are immensely grateful for the aroha we received when the theft occurred, as well as the support to restore the Zeiss to its full glory."
A boost for Auckland’s aerospace sector
Vincent Lipanovich, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited director of New Zealand Maritime Museum and partnerships, told 1News in a statement that the agency allocated $300k towards the restoration of the Zeiss telescope's dome after the significant damage to its copper roof.
"Tātaki Auckland Unlimited plays a crucial role in providing operational and capital funding support to several key cultural institutions on behalf of Auckland Council, including Stardome Observatory and Planetarium, The Trusts Arena, Due Drop Events Centre, and Eventfinda Stadium.
"We are tasked, on behalf of Auckland Council, with the mission to support public and charitable facilities for the benefit of Auckland's residents."
Lipanovich said the region’s economic agency was also a founding partner of Aerospace Auckland – an industry group designed to advance Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s aerospace sector.
"This is an exciting time to focus on the stars above, and rangatahi to be inspired about the possibilities of careers in aerospace right here in Aotearoa.
"As such, we can’t wait to welcome manuhiri back to experience the universe through the Zeiss telescope once again.”
The telescope was installed in 1967 thanks to a donation by Edith Winston Blackwell, for whom the telescope is named.
More than a million people are believed to have experienced the wonders of the skies through the telescope since its opening.
It even was used to track the Apollo craft during the 1969 moon landing.
SHARE ME