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Story: South Canterbury places

Mt John Observatory

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Mt John Observatory

Mt John Observatory was built above Lake Tekapo. In the 1960s it was a site of protest against the installation of an Omega navigational aid system. Protesters argued that it was part of the US guidance system for nuclear warheads.

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Tekapo Tourism

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How to cite this page

John Wilson, South Canterbury places – Mackenzie Country, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/11450/mt-john-observatory (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by John Wilson, published 2 March 2009, updated 17 August 2015.