Mount John University Observatory (MJUO), is New Zealand's premier astronomical research observatory. It is situated at 1,029 metres (3,376 ft) ASL atop Mount John at the northern end of the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island, and was established in 1965. There are many telescopes on site including: one 0.4m, two 0.6m, one 1.0m, and a new 1.8m 'MOA Telescope' (see below) The nearest population center is the resort town Lake Tekapo (pop. <500).