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One of New Zealand’s most ‘out of this world’ experiences is celebrating 20 years since its two co-founders brought astrotourism to the masses, putting Takapō (Tekapo) on the map.
Dark Sky Project (formerly Earth and Sky) is a joint venture between Ngāi Tahu Tourism and co-founders, Graeme Murray and Hide Ozawa. Each year, more than 45,000 manuhiri (visitors) enjoy the stars up close through exclusive star gazing tours on Ōtehīwai (Mount John) and other digital and outdoor experiences.
Dark Sky Project general manager and Ngāi Tahu astronomer Victoria Campbell is looking forward to celebrating the milestone birthday this Matariki.
“Ngāi Tahu Tourism is very proud to be associated with the pioneers of astrotourism. I’m excited that twenty years on, we’re still sharing their love of the night sky along with mātauranga Māori and our traditional Ngāi Tahu stories about whetū (stars).”
A celebration will be held this Thursday, featuring the screening of a documentary exploring Dark Sky Project’s origins. It also details the efforts of the co-founders and supporters to establish the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve in 2012, one of only three in the world at that time and the first to receive Gold Tier status. To this day, it remains the second largest in the Southern Hemisphere.
Victoria Campbell notes that astrotourism is a growing market, with research showing 70 per cent of people thinking about visiting New Zealand are interested in stargazing.
Dark Sky Project and Takapō were recently included in New Zealand’s first Minecraft World, and the tourism experience has been recognised by NZ Post this Matariki in a limited stamp release.
Co-founders Graeme and Hide remain closely involved with Dark Sky Project and are proud of their influence on stargazing as a tourism activity.
“Our journey over the past two decades under the pristine dark skies of the Mackenzie has been truly special. We’ve enjoyed the unique opportunity to blend science with tourism, giving rise to the term ‘astrotourism’,” says Graeme.
Hide had originally been travelling through New Zealand before settling in Takapō in the early 1990’s and beginning his astro guiding career.
“Most New Zealanders are probably not aware of just how special our view of the night sky is. The centre of the Milky Way is a vast area filled with stars that gets narrower as it stretches towards the horizons, offering a unique view of our galaxy from the inside. This is especially breathtaking in Takapō, thanks to our ideal latitude and clear skies with no light pollution,” says Hide.
It was Hide who first told Graeme that New Zealanders didn’t value their stars enough, which led to the two pushing for Takapō to receive Dark Sky Reserve status.
“He said to me… you New Zealanders take your stars for granted. You don’t appreciate the asset you have in your night sky. If we had a sky like this in Japan, we would create a park to protect it,” explains Graeme.
Six years ago, Earth and Sky evolved into the Dark Sky Project. Its stargazing tours are now woven with tātai arorangi (Ngāi Tahu astronomy), as well as cultural stories about the night sky that had never been previously shared outside of the iwi.
Te Rūnanga o Arowhenua and Waihao Upoko Tewera King and Te Rūnanga o Moeraki Upoko David Higgins were among a rōpū of whānau who generously shared their ancestral stories when Ngāi Tahu Tourism partnered with Graeme and Hide.
“We understood rather rapidly just how important it was to revive some of that mātauranga, some of those traditions and stories about the night sky,” explains David Higgins in the documentary.
Te Manahuna (Mackenzie Basin) was traditionally a gateway for Ngāi Tahu ancestors to connect and trade as they travelled around Te Waipounamu. Tewera King describes it as the heartbeat of the takiwā (tribal boundary) for his hapū.
“When you’re up on Ōtehīwai (University of Canterbury Mt John Observatory) and the sky is perfect, it almost feels like you can reach out and touch the moon – it’s a very spiritual place,” says Tewera.
He believes the popular tourism experience will continue to grow and inspire tens of thousands of visitors every year.
“Dark Sky Project has given us the opportunity to share our own kōrero and promote indigenous science to hundreds of thousands of manuhiri, while also encouraging the next generation of Māori navigators, sailors, and astronauts.”
The documentary is now available to watch on Dark Sky Project’s social media pages and YouTube.
