From Graham Palmer's back garden he can see countless galaxies, while being serenaded by two frogs.
They're in the pond beside his observatory where he relishes the dark sky in Maraekākaho, enabling an excellent view of the stars.
And Palmer wants to keep it that way. So he is making a submission to Hastings District Council to keep Maraekākaho skies free of light pollution.
"The Maraekākaho Dark Sky Project came from finding this piece of land under a dark sky - a rural site," he said.
"The goal is not only for us to do astronomy, but also to help educate others about astronomy and raise awareness about the need to protect the night sky and the value of it."