There is a growing interest in Oxford’s night sky. Photo: Raul Elias-Drago / LDR
Oxford's twinkling night sky is drawing in the visitors since the area gained international dark sky status.
''We get calls in the summer or in the middle of the week from people saying, 'we're coming to Oxford, do you have any activities at the observatory','' Oxford Dark Sky president Raul Elias-Drago said.
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''There is plenty of interest. We get people wanting to know about the dark sky status and wanting to see the stars.''
The 11,350 hectare Oxford Forest Conservation Area, to the west of the Canterbury town, which is owned by the Department of Conservation (DOC), was granted dark sky park status from Dark Sky International a year ago.
The Oxford Area School Observatory is run by volunteers and holds open nights on Saturday evenings between April and October.
Oxford Dark Sky has been working with Enterprise North Canterbury and Visit Waimakariri to provide a map and tips online on where to best view the starry sky.
Since gaining dark sky status, the group has gained charitable status and is working with the Waimakariri District Council to review lighting rules in the District Plan.
Open nights are being planned at the Oxford Observatory between April and October. Photo: David Hill / LDR
The ultimate goal is to apply for international dark sky reserve status, with the conservation area as the core and the town and wider area as the periphery.
The proposed District Plan, which is expected to become operative later this year, has clauses relating to lighting and exclusion zones around the observatory.
''The council is looking at whether we need to make any more changes and will suggest the most practical way to approach it, which may include a private plan change,'' Elias-Drago said.
In the meantime, the group is working on getting some signs around the town to let visitors know about the dark sky status, while the DOC plans to install signs at the entrances to the conservation area.
Planning is also under way for open nights at the observatory, beginning with an event for International Women's Day.
Observatory volunteers are considering developing a programme for wet or cloudy nights.
''Last year we ended up with a big waiting list because of rainy and cloudy nights,'' Elias-Drago said.
''We have people coming out from Christchurch who have dinner beforehand and sometimes the sky changes at the last minute, so it is difficult to cancel with enough notice and sometimes we cancel early and it comes out fine.''
This year volunteers plan to teach people how to use binoculars and introduce some theme nights, including a focus on galaxies and open clusters, including Matariki.
''A lot people have binoculars, but not everyone has a telescope, and you can still get good viewing of stars through a binoculars.''
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
