KEY POINTS:
Whakatane could stand to reap huge economic rewards from a hitherto unexplored frontier of tourism - the night sky.
That's the conclusion of visiting American astronomer Thomas Callahan, who reckons the clear skies over the eastern Bay of Plenty are a huge untapped resource that would be a massive magnet for thousands of astronomers from all over the world if they were advertised or promoted in any way.
Mr Callahan has spent much of the past month in both Blenheim and Whakatane - the two parts of the country with the highest sunshine hours and, therefore, the clearest nights.
He found out about the "undiscovered goldmine" above Whakatane almost by accident. There was little in international astronomy magazines to promote the region and he only found out about Whakatane through an extensive internet search, as well as talking to Alan Gilmore, a senior astronomer at the Mt John Observatory at Lake Tekapo in the South Island.
"He outlined that there were two towns with the best possible skies in New Zealand - I had been searching for a place to go to see the stars from the Southern Hemisphere and I was looking at either Chile or Australia and New Zealand."
Language barriers in Chile and the remoteness of Alice Springs - the best location in Australia for astronomy - prompted him to refine his search to New Zealand, but it was only when Mr Callahan arrived in Whakatane that he hit the jackpot.
"I had no appreciation of what facilities you have here and what you have at the Whakatane Observatory is very, very good - it's truly remarkable.
"I would go so far as to say God's gift to New Zealand is the night skies over Whakatane and Blenheim."
Mr Callahan said he saw sights he had yearned to see for many years, including a beautiful red star called X Crux, located in an area known as the "Jewel Box", a group of multicoloured stars near the Southern Cross.
"Their beauty is just immense.
"This has been a very productive trip for me."
- NZPA
