English: The Carkeek Observatory, built around 1867 of locally-milled tōtara and hand-made iron nails, is New Zealand's oldest surviving observatory. It was constructed by Stephen Carkeek, a retired customs officer and keen amateur astronomer, in the front garden of his sheep farm. After Carkeek's death in 1878 the observatory became a storage shed and gradually fell into ruin. A walnut tree has grown through the transit annex, but the octagonal viewing room has collapsed. The iron track and wheels that once rotated the canvas dome can still be seen.