Dark sky park gains international certification
QUEENSTOWN’S Gibbston is officially now home to ‘‘5billion star accommodation’’.
It is the seventh location in New Zealand to receive the international certification, and the first in the QueenstownLakes.
The park comprises 25sq km, including the Gibbston Character and Gibbston Valley Resort zones, and sits behind only Stewart Island Dark Sky Sanctuary as the closest internationally certified dark sky place in the world to the southern geomagnetic (auroral) pole. It will be the third certified dark sky sanctuary in the country.
Dark Sky Places programme manager Amber Harrison said the certification helped mitigate development impacts, ensuring residents and visitors could enjoy ‘‘naturally dark skies’’ for years to come. ‘‘These zones have diligently protected rural ecology, viticulture and the pristine night sky.
‘‘We look forward to collaborating with Gibbston Community Association [GCA] advocates to enhance dark sky protections in the region further,’’ she said. The application was developed by the GCA after unanimous community approval at last June’s annual meeting. GCA dark sky lead Prof Brian Boyle said the certification was ‘‘very significant’’ and meant the district could leverage the international recognition to help diversify the economy, through astro tourism.
‘‘I’m delighted that the international body has recognised that we have something worth promoting and protecting here. ‘‘We’re located within one of the ‘0.1% of inhabited land on Earth’ where both the aurora and centre of the Milky Way galaxy are clearly visible.
‘‘I would have thought that’s something to market to our tourists coming in.’’
How Gibbston businesses seized the opportunity would be up to them, Prof Boyle said. ‘‘Having the dark sky status will give us that international cache . . . a place where you can come in and see the sky in its pristine state.’’
He is hoping to expand the status into the Remarkables and Pisa conservation areas, along with neighbouring communities including Cardrona, Bannockburn and Lowburn. If successful, there is a chance to connect Central Otago, Gibbston and Glenorchy to generate a ‘‘significant scale’’ of dark sky in Otago which could be leveraged to ultimately have New Zealand recognised as a ‘‘dark sky nation’’.
Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Glyn Lewers said he was ‘‘delighted’’ the Kawarau Gibbston Dark Sky Park had been created.
‘‘It is particularly pleasing that the success of this application is founded on council’s lighting strategies and policies as a means to protect and promote this increasingly valuable natural resource.’’
Prof Boyle said New Zealanders — and QueenstownLakes residents — did not know how lucky they were in that regard.
‘‘Globally, the night sky brightness around the world has doubled in the last eight years — essentially, we’ve robbed people of half the stars in less than a decade.
‘‘Imagine if the art galleries of the world took away half their paintings every eight years — what a loss to humanity that would be.
‘‘People don’t see the stars any longer, and here, we’ve taken this resource for granted. ‘‘This is just an opportunity to promote it, particularly around Queenstown, to the rest of the world.’’