It was built around 1867 by retired customs officer and amateur astronomer Stephen Carkeek on his farm south of Featherston in the Wairarapa.

[1] After an early career at sea, Carkeek retained an interest in naval timekeeping and astronomy, which he pursued through the Wellington Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute.

At his instigation the Government built a Provincial Observatory on the waterfront, which connected to a time ball on the roof of the Wellington Customs House.

His farm, Torohanga, was just south of Featherston, and on it he built a private observatory to continue his hobby of amateur astronomy, for which he was widely known.

The "dome" over the observation room was likely in fact conical, and was made of canvas over a wooden frame, mounted on iron rollers so it could revolve to compensate for the Earth's rotation.

The transit telescope would have been used to determine the latitude and longitude of the observatory, as well as regulating his chronometer by observing 'clock stars'; he may also have kept an astronomical clock.

[6] The roof and two walls of the dome room were missing, but the rotation mechanism, consisting of a U-shaped channel and iron wheels, was still in place.

[9][8] The Dark Sky Association has also proposed an architect draw up plans so Wairarapa residents could build their own backyard observatories along the same lines.