My girlfriend has wanted a telescope for a while now (for general star and planet gazing) but is unsure of how often it will get used, so we are reluctant to drop $1,000-1,500 on a device that we may end up not using much.  Part of the reason for this is because we live in an Auckland inner suburb and star gazing isn't so easy with all the light pollution from the city and surrounds.  So we'd likely have to travel away from the city to get the most benefit out of it.

Does anyone know of any places that hire telescopes?  It would be ideal if we could trial a telescope close to what we might end up purchasing to avoid wasting our hard earned cash.

Thanks in advance?