The Jewel Box - Lake Tekapo

by Martina Mc Auley
(Amsterdam)

I was in Christchurch and had quickly visited the Townsend Observatory there. The astronomers were looking at the Jewel Box cluster of stars that night and it really piqued my interest.


Some of the people there, said to me, "if you want to see it up close and personal, go to Mt John in Lake Tekapo, where they have the biggest observatory in New Zealand".


I hadn't planned on backtracking but it was bugging me, as to whether I should go or not. It got the better of me anyway and I decided to head back southwest and go to Lake Tekapo. Well, it was one of the best traveling decisions I ever made.


I spent two days there and the main reason I wanted to go, was to take the Night time stargazing tour at the Earth & Sky observatory.


Lake Tekapo


When I got to Lake Tekapo, I was astounded by the beauty of the place. It's a stunning place, where the water of Lake Tekapo is a beautiful turquoise blue, created by rock "flour" from the glaciers.


The glaciers in the headwaters of Lake Tekapo grind rock into fine dust, on their journey down towards the lake. This rock "flour" is suspended in the water and it's this "flour" that gives the water it's colour. It was absolutely gorgeous.


Stargazing Tour - Earth and Sky Observatory


I took the stargazing tour and I wasn't disappointed. There were 3 guides waiting up there for us.


We couldn't have had a clearer night sky, it was spread out before us, with a glorious view of the planets and constellations.


We saw a lot of different stars etc, but for me, the crowning glory was when I saw the Jewel Box cluster of stars from the 16inch telescope. It just took my breath away.


It's a small open cluster of stars, near one of the pointers of the Southern Cross, that can't be seen with the naked eye, only with a telescope.


Through the big 16 inch telescope, you could see the 3 stars in the centre of the cluster, one is red, like a ruby, one is blue, like a sapphire and one is white, like a diamond, hence the
name the Jewel Box. There are also hundreds of other small stars gathered around these 3 stars and it's just gorgeous to see.


I would definitely recommend going there, even if you're not big into astronomy. The scenery there is drop dead gorgeous! For more info,check:http://tinyurl.com/yfsfrc7