30th Birthday Trip With The Girls
People come to Wai Tāhuna (Queenstown) for so many different reasons. One of them, is to celebrate a birthday with their friends. Our amazing little town has so much to offer, it’s perfect, as this group of girls found out as they headed here to celebrate Ash’s 30th.
Their itinerary was packed to the rafters and we managed to work with them to choose a night during their stay with clear skies and a time when the moon wasn’t in the sky.
Following on from our previous post about how Te Marama (the moon) affects star gazing, it’s worth noting that for this night the moon was going to appear around 11pm beginning the 19th day of the lunar month. It was full moon 4 days previous, meaning when Te Marama did appear it was going to be a whopping 84% waning gibbous, that’s pretty bit and pretty bright.
As you can see from the photographs, because we managed to get out a few hours before the moon rose, the skies are beautifully dark offering some amazing viewing.
We had an absolute ball exploring the heavens. As New Zealanders’ they’d all looked at the night sky at some point, and were familiar with the Southern Cross and the Pot, as well as knowing the astrological star signs. We find this is pretty common and iit really helps us further and extend the knowledge of our manuhiri (visiitors).
Finding the Southern Cross and the Pointers reveals where the cardinal points lie - South, North, East & West. Then we work out where the Sun rises and sets throughout the year helping which can give us an indication of what season and month we are in. Finally, understanding the motion of the moon up and down the horizon, as well as how full it is, tells us how far through the month we are.
This connection between time and what we see in the sky facilitates a greater connection between us and our environment, something that’s been severed over the last hundred years or so as many of us as moved to the city, away from the dark skies and stars. It’s actually really easy and simple to understand, especially if you’re standing underneath and observing a beautiful night sky.
The mighty Rehua (Antares) was watching down over us, and once people realise he sits in the heart of Scorpio, probably one of the easiest signs of the Zodiac to spot, it’s all on. As we set up the telescope to look a little deeper, it gives you the opportunity to use our iPad to explore where the rest of the signs of the Zodiac live as well as the other constellations.
Once again, our 8” Dobsonian Telescope blew some minds. It’s so easy to use and allows the most amazing zoomed in view of the stars and planets. Hine-i-tīweka (Jupiter) was sitting just above the horizon, and even through the fairly thick part of the atmosphere we could see the varying colours of it’s rings and make out a few of her moons.
Once again, Pareārau (Saturn) once again stole the show. We’ve all seen photos and illustrations of the ringed planet, but to see it with your own eyes through a telescope really is something else entirely. Yet another way star gazing helps us further understand our place in the universe and how amazing it is that we are all here living our lives.
Last time we spoke a little about the moon and its effect upon Stargazing. This time we want to talk a little about what to wear.
Stargazing is obviously best done at night, although a little sun worshiping never goes amiss. During late Autumn, Winter and early Spring we get clearer brighter skies. What this means is that it can be a little colder than perhaps we are used to. We also know that since you’re going to have your photograph taken, and as such want to look as good as possible.
Simon has spent many 100’s of hours under the the night sky, often high up in the mountains standing still for an hour or two at at time to capture his beautiful images. He is the first to admit that he runs warm, however, he also has a few top tips for staying warm.
Hat, scarf & gloves (with fingers) - We’ve all got them and should be an essential item to pack on any trip to Tāhuna (Queenstown)
Socks - long ones, not trainer socks are the way to go, a slight breeze on an exposed ankle will make all the difference and it’s easily covered. If you have merino socks, wear those, they are the best by far
Trousers - Simon has discovered that a baggy trouser is probably the best option to go for. Tight jeans or trousers that sit against your legs don’t have the benefit of a layer of insulating air. Like the socks, a slight breeze will chill your legs more than you expect.
Long johns - if you feel the cold, or you really want to wear those ripped jeans, then long johns, leggings, yoga pants under your baggy trousers will serve your legs really well.
A good closed toe shoe - Shoes are always warmer if they’re dry. We always aim to guide you through fairly easy terrain and paths, but a good thickish sole goes a long way for comfort
Layers - If you have a merino or polyprop base layer pop it on, it’s a great way to start your upper body outfit. Wool is warm, and adding a few layers of clothing helps create those air pockets around us to increase insulation.
Your warmest Jacket - We really can’t underestimate this one. If it’s got a hood, even better. Simon swears by down puffer jackets, they work amazingly. Whilst they can look fairly big, when it comes to photo time, they’re so easy to slip off for a few minutes. Otherwise, something windproof, potentially long will really help. You don’t need to worry so much about GoreTEX and supremely tech waterproof item as such, stargazing is rubbish in the rain. But again, if you have it, it’s going to work well.
We also don’t venture too far away from the car, so we can pop the engine and heater on for a warm up. We also always bring hot chocolate or other warm drink along to help warm you up from the inside out.
