We are thrilled to share that the Kaikōura Dark Sky Trust has been profiled in the December 2025 Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand (RASNZ) Newsletter – Issue 291. The feature highlights our journey toward becoming an International Dark Sky Sanctuary, the ecological roots of our work, and the growing community effort behind protecting Kaikōura’s nightscape. The newsletter also celebrates Larry Field’s recent DarkSky International Award and showcases stunning astro-imagery and updates from across Aotearoa’s astronomy community.
You can read the full newsletter here, and enjoy the coverage of Kaikōura Dark Sky Trust below.
Affiliated Society
Content provided by Colette Doughty and Larry Field
Our Journey
The Kaikōura Dark Sky story began in 2020 when Nicky McArthur, owner of Puhi Peaks Nature Reserve, was inspired by the plight of Kaikōura’s endangered seabird, the Hutton’s shearwater / Kaikōura tītī. This unique alpine nesting bird, which travels nightly between the mountains and the sea is disoriented by artificial light at night. What started as an effort to protect a bird quickly became a mission to protect an entire nightscape.
A small but passionate group of volunteers formed the Kaikōura Dark Sky Trust working to protect, enhance, and celebrate Kaikōura’s pristine night skies. Today the Trust still continues to operate almost entirely through volunteer effort, supported by one part time coordinator.
DarkSky International Sanctuary Accreditation
After several years of research, lighting audits, community consultation and council policy reform, Kaikōura was officially accredited on 12 September 2024 as the 22nd DarkSky International Sanctuary in the world and only the fourth in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Sanctuary covers 98% of the district (approx 2,039 square kms) making it one of the largest protected dark sky areas in the Southern Hemisphere. This milestone recognised both the district’s exceptional sky darkness and its commitment to conservation and education. The remaining 2% covers the town itself and immediate surrounding area which we hope one day will become DarkSky Community.
Continuing to Protect Night and Nature
Kaikōura’s Sanctuary exists at the intersection of astronomy, ecology, and community. By continuing to control artificial light at night, we help ensure that both the Hutton’s shearwater and Kaikōura’s residents can continue to thrive beneath truly dark skies as well as private the perfect platform for astro tourism.
The Trust is working hard to keep the lighting conversations alive with our local community to reduce light pollution. We’ve built a visual mobile outdoor lighting display showing what “good” and “bad” lighting looks like, and this is being shared around the schools and community spaces. We are extremely grateful to the support from our local council and to NZTA who have recently completed a full refit of our street and highway lights.
What is special about Kaikōura Dark Skies?
One of the major advantages of the Dark Sky Sanctuary in Kaikōura is its location where the mountains meet the sea. The rugged Seaward Kaikōura Range towers above the small township, which is spread along the seafront below and which contains numerous motels and one hotel. From the town shoreline the nighttime view of the mountains set against the starry sky is unforgettable. In winter time the snow-covered range stands out in the moonlight giving excellent nightscape photography opportunities.
From the town, a road and a recently completed modern boardwalk led to the Kaikōura Peninsula, which attracts visitors for viewing seals and scenic rocky coastal ocean views in the daytime, and two signposted stargazing sites for nighttime viewing of Kaikōura’s southern skies. One site is at Fyffe House, a shorefront remainder from the early whaling days in the 1850s. Close by is an old chimney on the shoreline which provides an iconic nightscape view, especially when the Milky Way is rising from the east. At the end of the Peninsula the parking space provides another sign posted stargazing site, where one can either station themselves with binoculars or telescope, or ascend to the top of the Peninsula for day and night vistas to the east and south from a viewing platform. Viewing the stars with the sea and waves crashing far below is a memorable experience, especially then the aurora australis is glowing in the southern sky.
Another attractive stargazing site is called the Lookout, on a Peninsula hilltop easily reached from Highway 1 before entering the town. This site has a large viewing platform which affords panoramic views of the night sky, especially to the south, west and north. The platform also contains four camera mounts aimed at the south celestial pole to allow photographing circular star trails with smart phones, mirrorless or DSLR cameras. Instructions are posted nearby.
Another two stargazing sites are located at South Bay before arriving at the town from the south. One is at an open coastal parking site called Pohowhera just south of the turnoff for South Bay. This has wide open views of all the sky except for the north. The second site is at the South Bay Reserve parking area which gets the last of the setting sun, it also allows access to a lookout on top of the south side of the Peninsula, where panoramic views are open in all directions. This is reached by a 10 min walk along a paved track. The Kaikōura Dark Sky Trust website has a comprehensive self-guided stargazing section with a map showing all these suggested locations which are easily accessible from the town.
During the rebuild of the coastal highway after the 2016 earthquake the NCTR planners created a 60km cultural artwork trail from Oaro in the south to Clarence in the north. These provide roadside parks with attractive sculptures and historical significance of early Maori inhabitants. These sites can provide a full schedule for visitors: good daytime activity watching seals and seabirds, having a picnic or exploring the shore, while the above stargazing sites can provide nighttime exploration of the skies.
With the accreditation of the Kaikōura Dark Sky Sanctuary, the town has seen a growing selection of astro tourism amenities which offer a variety of opportunities to enjoy the night sky. This includes stargazing with telescopes and binoculars at night and solar observing in the daytime, a nightscape astrophotography tour and training, a dinner experience under the stars and an amazing zip line ride at night while looking at the stars and Milky Way. Accommodation providers are joining in too offering stargazing decks, night sky hot tubs, and private astro tours. Details can be found on our Discover, Stay & Dine page.
Kaikōura also has one private observatory with a 4m dome, a few amateur astronomers and the Kaikōura Astronomy Society is currently being formed by a group of local enthusiasts. This will offer the residents a chance to learn about the wonders of the southern skies, how to obtain and use telescopes and astronomical cameras and to bring astronomy to the wider audiences who live and visit this remarkable town.
Contact
www.kaikouradarksky.nz
kaikouradarksky@gmail.com
Registered Charity No. CC61093
Photo credit – Dr Larry Field