This New Zealand Area Simply Earned Darkish Sky Sanctuary Designation

Already famed for its dramatic landscapes and spirit of journey, New Zealand has added one other world-class vacation spot to its map: the Tāhuna Glenorchy Darkish Sky Sanctuary. Spanning almost 50,000 acres of pristine mountain wilderness on the South Island, this stargazing sanctuary is the nation’s fifth Worldwide Darkish Sky Sanctuary—and certainly one of solely 23 worldwide.

The Tāhuna Glenorchy Darkish Sky Sanctuary, the nation’s first inland mountain sanctuary, is a notable addition to New Zealand’s rising portfolio of astrotourism websites. Nestled simply an hour’s drive south of Queenstown, the South Island’s self-proclaimed “journey capital of the world” affords easy accessibility to one of many nation’s most spectacular wilderness areas.

From right here, the small alpine villages of Glenorchy and Kinloch function gateways to the UNESCO-listed Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Wilderness. This 10,000-square-mile pure marvel is house to legendary trails just like the Routeburn, Greenstone-Caples, and Rees-Dart tracks.

Why Darkish Sky Sanctuaries Matter
With greater than 80 p.c of the world’s inhabitants—and almost all People and Europeans—dwelling underneath skies impacted by synthetic mild, really darkish websites have grow to be extremely uncommon. Darkish Sky Worldwide, a nonprofit devoted to defending pure darkness, has been combating to preserve these dwindling celestial sanctuaries for greater than 30 years. Via their world Darkish Sky Locations program, they’re certifying and preserving particular places the place the Milky Method nonetheless glows by an ocean of good stars overhead.

Having visited Glenorchy twice over the previous twenty years and trekked deep into the Southern Alps alongside the Routeburn Observe, I can attest firsthand to this area’s extraordinary magnificence. The landscapes right here really feel like pure, untouched wilderness, with sweeping vistas by day matched solely by the magnificent readability of the heavens at evening.

Maybe most thrilling for eclipse chasers, Tāhuna Glenorchy can be one of many uncommon locations on the planet to see the Complete Photo voltaic Eclipse in 2028, and the solely designated Worldwide Darkish Sky Sanctuary in its path. I can’t consider a greater backdrop to be awed by the spectacle of a complete photo voltaic eclipse throughout the day, adopted by an untamed view of the celebs at evening.

The street to qualifying Glenorchy as a Darkish Sky Sanctuary, nevertheless, took extra than simply the awestruck opinions of vacationers like me to come back to fruition. As an alternative, it concerned a five-year grassroots effort by the Tāhuna Glenorchy Darkish Sky Group.

“Whereas none of us knew something about astronomy firstly, our staff of 12 spanning three generations, have upskilled in good methods studying about lighting, moths and bats, staying up late measuring darkness, holding group occasions and the annual Matariki dinner, going to star programs, and partnering in with the QLDC [Queenstown Lakes District Council] Libraries and Tūhuru Otago Museum for talks and academic packages for the entire group,” Leslie Van Gelder, chair of Tāhuna Glenorchy Darkish Skies Group, stated in a launch obtained by Journey + Leisure.

The outcome? A sanctuary that’s greater than only a vacation spot, however a tribute to the dedication of a passionate group, creating an distinctive surroundings the place everybody can reconnect with the unspoiled great thing about the evening sky.