About four years ago, the couple came up with an idea of digging a hole in the ground and covering it with perspex or plastic so people could sleep under the stars.
They were friends with Graeme Murray, from Lake Tekapo, who established astro-tourism company Earth and Sky.
He commented about the number of people coming away from the Mt John Observatory and all they wanted to do was ''lie in the tussock and view the stars''.
Their first concept was literally a hole in the ground with a dome over it but that was then expanded to cater for toilet and other facilities.
Eventually, Mr Newlands met his old basketball mate Brian de Geest, in Oamaru, of de Geest Construction, and ran the idea past him.
He thought it was a great idea and suggested talking to architectural designer Ian Perry. Their responses gave the couple the confidence to ''go for it''.
Mr Perry came up with several designs and Mr and Mrs Newlands picked the one they wanted and it had grown from there.
It had taken four years of planning and about 11 months to build, accompanied by a myriad of challenges.
It was ''a massive learning curve'' as the couple previously knew nothing about the likes of resource and building consents.
They drew a lot of inspiration from two years living and teaching in Kenya. ''We spent a lot of time at incredible lodges, built in the middle of nowhere, usually run by parents of the kids we taught.
''It taught us that isolation doesn't have to be a barrier; it can work in your favour. People are wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of busy life,'' Mr Newlands said.
The building was ''off the grid'' and every detail had been considered to ensure it was environmentally friendly.
Mr Newlands did an online business course which had helped, by giving them a structure to follow.
It made them do market research and also ask ''all the hard questions about what we were doing''.
The couple had resource consent to build five units over the next five years, although they wanted to concentrate on ensuring they had the first one right before building more.
Their first guests were Chinese visitors, who were ''blown away'' by the experience, Mr Newlands said.
As they arrived, a mob of cattle was being driven past. The weather was stormy and dramatic but cleared for a starry night, followed by an ''absolutely stunning'' sunrise.
Mr and Mrs Newlands also had other ideas, including the opportunity for an agri-tourism venture on the farm.
Officially opening SkyScape, Mackenzie Mayor Graham Smith said it came on the heel of his signing a memorandum of understanding with China Southern Airlines, which planned to bring additional visitors to the area, the Dark Sky Reserve being a huge drawcard.
In 2012, the 4300sq km area was declared the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.
