Wednesday, October 4, 2023

NEW ZEALAND ~ The Good Shepherd Church - Lake Tekapo - UNESCO ~

...Spectacular Starry Night view ✰✰✰... the Milky Way shining majestically above the Church of the Good Shepherd on the shores of Lake Tekapo... it isn't big, it isn't fancy but it is in one of the World's few dedicated Dark Sky Zones - areas where there is little to no light pollution... and also one of the most photographed places in New Zealand... Thanks a lot Susan! (✿◠‿◠)

Looking at the sky and connecting to it sits at the heart of humanity. It’s one of the earliest activities every single culture on the planet did, and the night sky is intrinsically connected to who we are as humans.“When we start to sever that bond, we change who we are as a people. We’re changing the way we understand our world and the things that are important to us. We need to try and put together better ways of using lights and caring for our night sky.”
                                                                                                               Rangi Mātāmua

Photo: © 2014 Sebastian Warneke

Lake Tekapo located in the South Alps Mountains, is a famous glacier-covered lake on New Zealand's South Island and surrounded by snow-white mountains. 

The Church of the Good Shepherd was built in 1935 and named after a sculpture of a shepherd dog and made entirely of rock blocks. The area of the church is only 20 to 30 square meters, which is very small.The stone arch is so small that it can only accommodate one person to step in. There is a small stone cross on the north roof, a small bell tower on the west side of the south roof, and a small bronze bell hangs in the arched wall hole. The roof is a black stone piece.

This place is the first town in the world to be listed as a "Starry Sky Nature Reserve" by UNESCO.

 

Stamp:

Scenic Definitives 
(Issued 005-2007)

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