Multi-award-winning The Headwaters Eco Lodge has launched a hosted stargazing experience in New Zealand’s latest International Dark Sky Sanctuary.
Tāhuna Glenorchy is one of only 23 currently designated sanctuaries in the world, and only four in New Zealand.
It’s the first inland mountain sanctuary where, on a clear night, awestruck stargazers feel like they can touch the stars from the tops of its mountain peaks and see them reflected in the depths of Lake Wakatipu.
The Headwaters Eco Lodge is set in the small rural settlement of Glenorchy on the borders of Mt Aspiring National Park.
In celebration of the small but dedicated team of local volunteers who worked on the Dark Skies project for five years, the lodge has introduced two stargazing packages for visitors and locals alike.
The lodge’s in-house stargazing experts are members of the original Dark Skies project team, guiding would-be astronomers through the stars and features of the mesmerising Milky Way.
The family-oriented Stories and Stars package and a Savour The Stars package aimed at couples launched this week and will run until the end of September.
Stories and Stars, a family night under the sky, runs on Thursdays at 6:15 pm and includes a family-style dinner, beanbags and blankets to snuggle into and keep warm and cosy, binoculars, telescope viewing with a guide, hot chocolate, and toasted marshmallows by the fire in the Scheelite Shelter.
Savour the Stars is an evening for two on Saturdays at 6.30 pm. It includes a renowned Chef’s Choice three-course dinner, telescope viewing, beanbags and blankets, binoculars, mulled wine, and toasted marshmallows.
Using a constellation ‘map’ on a phone app to help identify stars during each evening’s hour-long session, Tāhuna Dark Skies team members will touch on the history of astronomy, worldwide myths and legends associated with the stars, including Māori stories, as well as basic knowledge about how stars are formed.
The team proudly advocates for protecting New Zealand’s pristine night skies for generations to come and will discuss light pollution, as well as ways to prevent and reduce the lighting footprint.
The Headwaters Eco Lodge‘s General Manager, Kylie Broxton, said stargazing is a growing tourism activity that combines natural beauty with learning about astronomy and its cultural perspectives.
“We’re extremely proud of the hard work by a small, dedicated team of volunteers from Glenorchy who invested their time and passion in preserving this for the future,” she said.
“The Headwaters leads the way in sustainability and world-class regenerative design principles, and stargazing is a form of sustainable tourism that fosters a sense of awe and wonder.”
Located in New Zealand’s astronomical sweet spot on the 45th parallel and within an hour’s drive of Queenstown, Glenorchy will be one of the rare places on the planet to see the total solar eclipse in 2028 as the only designated Dark Sky Sanctuary in its path.
