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[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Sky park will give Tekapo a starring role

World Heritage Starlight Reserve proposed for Mackenzie Country

The Timaru Herald | 12:23AM - Thursday, 20 November 2008







SHINING LIGHTS: The night sky at Tekapo is likely to become a World Heritage site. — FRASER GUNN.

THE skies above the Mackenzie Country could be the home of the world's first starlight reserve within months.

Unesco is likely announce the World Heritage site and Earth's first starlight reserve to coincide with the International Year of Astronomy (2009).

Tekapo's Graeme Murray is part of a driving force behind the sky reserve, helping initiate the proposal during his term as chairman of the Mackenzie Tourism and Development Board.

He said one of the important cornerstones of the Lake Tekapo community's long-term vision was to protect the area's unique dark sky.

"We want to better protect one of the Mackenzie's most valuable assets, its dark, starry sky. It has never been done anywhere in the world so we hope we'll be successful."

Former MP Margaret Austin and New Zealand Unesco representative is leading the initiative and she will attend the important Unesco meeting in Paris in January where further consideration will be given to the draft document that has been prepared.

Unesco and its world heritage committee seem keen to make the sky above Lake Tekapo and Aoraki-Mount Cook the pilot study for the world's first heritage Starlight Reserve, a type of park in the sky.

Through the initiatives of the Mackenzie District Council most of the required regulatory ordinances that might be required for such a status are already in place.

All Tekapo streets lights are sodium and shielded from above to reduce the glow and all household lights must face down — not up.

The reserve would give recognition and protection for the region's dark unpolluted skies.

New Zealand has just three of the 851 listed world heritage sites: Te Wahipounamu, Tongariro and the sub-Antarctic islands, and Mr Murray wants to add a fourth one — the Mackenzie Country's Dark Sky.

"The Mount John observatory science projects above the Tekapo township are also a special and valuable eco-tourist attraction but as the interest is great we sometimes have to limit the number of visitors particularly at night.

"The Mackenzie District Council is already leading New Zealand and many parts of the world with special ordinances and by-laws in place controlling the use of lighting and restricting light pollution in the area."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/726286