We were amazed by the number of people at the Mount John observatory in the middle of the day a couple of months ago.
The 360 degree views over the Mackenzie Basin justify a visit though the beauty of the night sky requires bookings if you plan to go when it’s dark.
Now the basin has been designated a dark sky reserve it will be even more of a destination.
The newly designated Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve joins a select group of just 17 International Dark Sky Places worldwide, and is only the fourth International Dark Sky Reserve, following on from Mont Megantic in Canada, Exmoor National Park in the United Kingdom, and the NamibRand Nature Reserve, in Namibia.
Steve Owens, chair of the IDA’s Dark Sky Places Development Committee says for many of the other 16 places, tourism was one of the main drivers in their bid for dark sky status and they were already seeing the dividends.
“Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park in Scotland has recently begun to assess the impact of dark sky astronomy tourism in the local economy, and a sample evaluation in the region recently showed that 77% of local guest houses and bed-and-breakfasts had reported an increase in bed-nights due to the dark sky park. The report also stated that the money spent on lighting refits was already paying for itself: for every £1 spent on achieving the dark sky status £1.93 has been generated for the local economy within the first two-and-a-half years.
“Anecdotally too astronomy business is booming, with hotels in Galloway and Exmoor running regular stargazing weekend breaks, meteor watches and astronomy talks. Dark Sky Tourism has become such a big part of the area around Galloway that work is almost complete on a £600,000 public observatory to the north of the park, which will attract school groups, families, and stargazers from far and wide to come and marvel at the beauty of a really dark sky,” Mr Owens says.
The Honourable Margaret Austin, who chairs the Starlight Working Party which has been working since 2006 to get the Mackenzie Basin internationally recognised as a Dark Sky Reserve, says the night sky in the Mackenzie basin is a truly magnificent sight and is particularly fascinating for overseas visitors who come from areas where light pollution masks the stars from view.
“This is a truly exceptional environment, landscape and night sky that we want to protect and promote,” Mrs Austin says.
The designation is the result of six years of hard work and was announced at the third international starlight conference in Tekapo at the weekend.
Not all locals were supportive of the bid because the reserve status imposes restrictions on outdoor lighting.
However, the economic boost for the area should more than compensate for that inconvenience.
If you google timelapse Tekapo you’ll find several videos which give an idea of just how beautiful the night sky is.
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