PAUL GORMAN
THE LIGHT FANTASTIC: Aurora Australis seen from Tekapo late on
the evening of March 16.
Canterbury is now home to the biggest and the best dark-sky
reserve in the world.
Six years of hard work and intense lobbying have finally paid
off with tonight's announcement that the Aoraki-Mackenzie Dark-Sky
Reserve has been officially approved by a global astronomical
body.
The reserve, which includes Canterbury University's Mt John
Observatory above Lake Tekapo, Twizel and Aoraki-Mt Cook village,
is only the fourth in the world and the second in the Southern
Hemisphere.
At 4300 square kilometres the Aoraki-Mackenzie reserve is the
biggest, ahead of reserves at Exmoor in England and Quebec in
Canada, and the recently announced NamibRand Nature Reserve in
Namibia.
It is also the first "gold-rated" reserve, meaning the darkness
of its night skies is almost unbeatable.
International Dark-Sky Association executive director Bob Parks,
who announced the new reserve, said it was about the best
astronomical site one could get without being on the summit of very
tall, remote mountains.
"The new reserve is coming in at a 'gold-level' status. That
means the skies are almost totally free from light pollution.
"To put it simply, it is one of the best stargazing sites on
Earth."
The success of the efforts to have the Mackenzie Basin
recognised was announced at the start of third International
Starlight Conference being held in Tekapo township this week.
Opening the conference was Ngati Tuwharetoa paramount chief Sir
Tumu te Heuheu, a former chairman of the World Heritage Committee
of Unesco, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation.
An earlier bid to the Unesco committee to have the Mackenzie
skies gazetted as a world heritage site failed because there were
no rules in place to protect the heritage of the skies.
Starlight reserve chairwoman Margaret Austin, who also led the
Unesco bid, said she and all those involved with the application
were thrilled it had been accepted.
"We're just over the moon.
"Really, achieving this status is a tribute to the people of the
district who never wavered in their commitment to achieving
it."
Christchurch and Canterbury Tourism chief executive Tim Hunter
said it was fantastic news for Canterbury.
"It's wonderful finally to have recognition in both national and
global terms for this premium asset.
"It puts the Mackenzie Basin on the map as a destination of
international significance and sends a clear message to people that
if they want the ultimate dark-sky experience then this is the
place to come."
He expected to see visitor numbers to the Mackenzie soar as a
result.
Mackenzie Tourism general manager Phil Brownie said there would
be "enormous ramifications and beneficial flow-on effects" for the
district and for New Zealand.
"Mt John is considered one of the most accessible observatories
in the world.
"The observatory is home to six telescopes, including the
country's biggest, which measures 1.8m across and can observe 50
million stars each clear night."
This video is an all night timelapse animation taken from Mt John,
Lake Tekapo, looking South East with a circular fisheye lens across
Lake Tekapo and Tekapo village.
At the start of the night the main feature is the milkyway
rising - then a small aurora followed by a zodical light and
sunrise.
For more time-lapse photography by Fraser Gunn, see
astrophotography.co.nz.
- © Fairfax NZ News