They say on a clear day you can see forever. And in New Zealand, that sure is true, especially at night. The southern skies offer some of the most fabulous stargazing opportunities in the world. Many are visible to the human eye, but no trip to New Zealand would be complete without stopping at least one observatory to check out the Southern skies by telescope.

When to Go

Stargazing in New Zealand is a year round activity, providing that the clouds don’t get in the way. Best time to go, though, would be late summer and early autumn when the skies are the clearest. But if you‘re looking for the center of the Milky Way, then go in the winter.

What to See

As well as the Milky Way, the three brightest stars – Sirius, Canopus, and Alpha Centauri – can be seen in the southern skies. Alongside the Southern Cross is the Jewel Box, a collection of different colored stars. But the star attraction must be the great view of two extraordinary galaxies – the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. These two cloud-like patches, considered the closest galaxies to our own, are about 170,000 light years away.

Where to Go

Auckland Observatory and Planetarium

Auckland is the entry point for most international travellers, so where better to kick start your New Zealand stargazing experience. The Auckland Observatory and Planetarium (more commonly known as ‘stardome’) is located in Auckland’s One Tree Domain.

The Planetarium, with it’s 360 degree all-sky theater, offers a truly amazing stargazing experience. It doesn’t matter what the weather is like outside, in here the stars are always shining – all 3,500 of them.

Stonehenge Aeoteora

Only an hours drive from the capital city of Wellington, Aeoteoroa Stonehenge sits amongst the farmlands and vineyards of the Wairarapa.

A full scale adaptation of England’s Stonehenge, this New Zealand version marks the stars and constellations that guided the Polynesian navigators years ago during their voyages across the Pacific.

Run by the members of the Phoenix Astronomical Society, this is the perfect place to learn both history and astronomy. Visitors are introduced to the art of stargazing while learning how ancient cultures used the stars, moon, and sun navigate the ocean, create calendars, and follow the seasons.

Carter Observatory

Sitting atop Mount Victoria, surrounded by 26 hectares of spectacular Botanic Gardens and overlooking Wellington, a trip to the Carter Observatory is worth it just for the panoramic view of the city and the harbor. But this observatory also offers a chance to reach for the stars, visually, through an historic 23 centimeter refracting telescope. Weather permitting, of course.

There are astronomy displays, computers, audiovisual presentations, and telescopes to check out. The Planetarium offers a 30 minute show, audio visual presentations, and a short talk by an astronomer.

There are two main telescopes for public observation sessions. During the day, the focus in on solar viewing, searching for flares and sunspots through a telescope protected by solar filters. And at night, the search is on for the stars of the southern skies. The telescopes are manned at all times by a qualified astronomer, able and willing to answer your questions.

Mt Johns Observatory

Located three hours south of Christchurch, the Mt Johns Observatory offers some of the best views of both the New Zealand landscape and the southern skies. During the day, visitors can experience panoramic views of the Southern Alps and Mount Cook.

And at night, the stars come out to play.

You can walk or drive up to the observatory during the day. Once there, take a guided tour and look at the sun through the solar telescope. The Astro Café provides good food and amazing views.

Night time tours (at 10 pm each night) are offered by Earth and Sky Tours. They pick you up from the town center and drive up to the observatory. Once there, visitors are provide with a tour of the facility and the opportunity to see the Milky Way, the Southern Cross, and the Jewel Box through telescopes, binoculars, and the naked eye.

There is also a Twilight Tour available, aimed more for those with young families. Starting right after sunset, this tour is shorter, but still provides the opportunity to look through the large telescopes.

Story and photos by Tony Robinson-Smith

There are three major obstacles to navigating in the Long Range Mountains: low visibility caused by cloud capping the highlands, many small streams and ponds look similar to one another and can cause confusion, and the dense tangles of spruce and fir which make walking in a straight line difficult and can easily lead hikers off course. – Parks Canada website

We’re not used to this. Clawing through dense forest, crawling on all fours under half-fallen trees, balancing on moss-swaddled logs, squeezing between shed-size boulders, branches raking our packs, thick cloud of blackflies spinning round our heads. I’m already bleary-eyed and breathing like a locomotive and we’ve only been going three hours. But it’s steep, at times very steep, and humid.

Maybe our packs are too damn heavy: food for five days, tent, stove, canisters of gas, camera, binoculars, umbrellas, bird book, water. But the real problem is there’s no trail. Or there’s a trail, then it’s gone; another trail, but, no, that’s river bed.

We keep one piece of advice from the park warden firmly in mind: “Make sure you pass to the right of the waterfall, not to the left. You won’t make it up the left side.” I say “we,” but right now I’m alone. I lost my wife half an hour ago. Last thing I said to her was “You try that path and I’ll try this one. They’ll probably join further up.” It occurs to me that splitting up wasn’t a terribly wise thing to do. She has the map and compass, half the food, and the car keys.

“NADYA?” The word echoes off the walls of the gorge.

This is our first day on the Long Range Traverse in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland, a “wilderness backpacking experience” that the Parks Canada website says is for hikers with “good navigational skills with a map and compass.” Yesterday, we attended a briefing and had to demonstrate these skills in a written test at the visitor center to gain a backcountry permit. Having only become acquainted with the basics three weeks ago, the test took us all morning and had us sweating (Question 11: “Before adjusting for declination, take a bearing off the map from the end of Western Brook Pond to the top of the gorge. What bearing will you travel on?”).

After completing the test, we were shown a short film about the traverse. It contained a lot of unsettling vocabulary and cautionary advice: “windswept barrens,” “few landmarks,” “you are responsible for your own safety,” “once you leave the boat, you’re on your own.” But the traverse was only twenty-two miles as the crow flies and it was summer. How difficult could it be? The warden gave us an emergency transmitter before we headed out.

“TONY!! How did you get there?” I look up. Ah, there she is. Like me, she has emerged from the forest and found a way up beside the waterfall. She is now spread-eagled on bare rock face, clinging for dear life. But I was in the same spot myself twenty minutes ago. She must backtrack and take the mud path down to the shelf above the waterfall where I now stand. I yell instructions and wave my arms about extravagantly, conscious that we won’t be seeing much wildlife if I do much of this. Apparently, there are some 4800 moose in the park, herds of woodland caribou, black bear, snowshoe hare, arctic fox, lynx, and rock ptarmigan.

While I wait for Nadya, I look back at Western Brook Pond. We have climbed 1800 feet in three miles, and I now have an uninterrupted view of the gorge. The isolated dock where the park boat dropped us is a like a playing card. The near-vertical sides of the granite and gneiss tables that imprison the lake are spectacular. According to Rocks Adrift, a book I picked up in the visitor centre, the Long Range Mountains are the result of two continents colliding a billion years ago, forcing ocean crust and the earth’s mantle to the surface. Over the past two million years, glaciers have ploughed through the rock, leaving deep gorges and hanging valleys and exposing ancient strata. Gros Morne is a geologist’s and palaeontologist’s delight as it is a classic example of plate tectonics at work and fossils date back to Palaeozoic times. The gorge resembles a Norwegian fjord, but a warden on the boat told us that none of the gorges in the park qualify as fjords as they are no longer open to the sea.

Nadya and I take lunch sitting beside an insectivorous pitcher plant at the top of the gorge. From here, to return to civilization, we must head south over the “windswept barrens” to Gros Morne Mountain and descend at Ferry Gulch.

Lost in The Barrens

“I tell you, this trail ISN’T going in the right direction.”

I look down at the trail, reluctant to abandon it. It’s a nice trail, seductively indented with moose tracks and boot prints.

“Well, maybe it swings around and then winds its way up to the saddle.”

“Let’s take another bearing,” Nadya says reasonably. I stop and unfold the map. We have it in a fancy transparent case with a cord that goes over the shoulder; I’ve attached the compass to the corner by means of a shoelace so we don’t lose it. This is the third bearing we’ve taken in ten minutes.

“North is in that direction. No, wait. We have to factor in declination. Add 21 degrees.” I rotate the map. “Now, there should be a pond somewhere… over there.” I point to the east.

“There’s no pond. Why are they called ponds and not lakes?”

“I have no idea.” I think of a pond in town with model boats and a fountain. Our map is speckled with ponds, some of them with funny names like Candlestick Pond and Spike Knee Pond. Ninety percent of them don’t have names.

“Ok, I’ll take a bearing and then you take one and we’ll confer,” I say.

“We should probably go back to the corner of Marks Pond because right now we don’t know where exactly we are on the map.”

“Good idea.” We turn around and head back the way we’ve come.

Twenty-four hours have passed since we ascended the tablelands. I can understand why they call this place “the barrens.” Most of it is marshy tundra, lakes, and tuckamore. Tuckamore is a local term for dwarf balsam fir and spruce trees, arrested in growth by hard frosts and twisted into torturous shapes by the wind, akin to krummholz in the Alps. Apparently, tuckamore can be as much as six hundred years old. The going has been tough, the tablelands far hillier than we expected and the ground so saturated with water it’s like walking on a sponge. Four times porridgey peat bog has swallowed my foot to the ankle.

Continue to Page 2 of Long Range Traverse

The swirl of color, the laughter of the people, the vibrant sounds and smells and tastes of a gathering in central Africa: all these come to life in the opening track of the album Gakondo. It is also the title track, a word that means traditions or origins in the language of Rwanda.

That language, Kinyarwanda, is the native language of Jacques Murigande, who makes music under the name Mighty Popo. Resident now in Canada, Popo honors his African roots while drawing in aspects of the diaspora those roots have reached, for a style he has called world blues. For this project, which has received a Juno nomination for best world music album in Canada, Popo chose to focus on his African roots, collecting and writing songs in Kinyarwanda, from ancient tales passed down through generations to a newly composed piece celebrating his love for both Rwanda and Canada.

Whatever sort of American blues you know, be that Piedmont ot Delta or Chicago or those of rooted in another part of North American history, you’ll find resonances and connections in the music Mighty Popo offers here. It holds a distinctly African presence, too, from the language to the rhythms to the instruments, which include Popo’s own handmade gourd guitar and the inaga, an instrument shaped like a shallow bowl which has a single gut string woven back and forth across it, creating nine or more strings with a sound that holds elements of both melody and percussion.

The songs on Gakondo speak of family, of heritage, of place. There is a lament for the genocide which has scared this history of Rwanda, and a celebration of the ancestors who have made Popo’s journey possible as well as songs which focus on bravery, empowerment, and the lives of great men and women. The ten song collection ends, appropriately enough with Rwampunga, a song of welcome.

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The wood-fired pizzas are always appealing, and though they’re considered a specialty, I’ve never tried one. Sushi is excellent, particularly the blowtorched salmon roll, and I try to save room for a creamy bowl of wasabi mash potatoes. I don’t order either, however, at the expense of my favorite dish at Pla Dib, a trendy Thai/Euro/Japanese fusion restaurant popular with hip locals and expats-in-the-know located down a long, winding soi near the Aree BTS Skytrain station.

There’s nothing especially unique about Pla Dib’s seared tuna, which is listed as a starter but could double as a light and healthy lunch or dinner, except that it’s reliably perfect and, like the rest of the menu, made with fresh, high-quality ingredients. In this case, that means a generous hunk of tuna sliced into six meaty chunks that are lightly seared and coated with sesame seeds on the outside, a beautiful shade of pink in the middle, and served with a side of red-leaf lettuce and shot glass of light vinaigrette.

If it weren’t for the threat of mercury poisoning, I could happily eat this every day.

Pla Dib is located at 1/1 Soi Areesampan 7, on the corner of Pharam 6 Rd, and is open Tuesday to Sunday 5pm – midnight. 02 279 8185. BTS Station: Aree. Reservations recommended on weekends.

We could play the “Must-Eat Food in Bangkok” game every day for years and still have plenty of culinary fodder to feature. In that sense, the “BKK Must Eats” series will not be comprehensive, nor will it exclusively list dishes that are “the best” of anything (though it might, from time to time). The modest goal of this series is simply to spotlight, somewhat randomly, damned delicious dishes in Bangkok that I’ve indulged on many occasions, and that I recommend you indulge too.

More BKK Must Eats:
+ Early Evening Pad Thai on Soi Chidlom
+ Salmon Agemusubui at Sukishi
+ Spicy Tuna Roll at Yaki Ten
+ Grilled Squid at Pantip Plaza
+ Pumpkin Hummus at May Kaidee’s

_{Photo credit and copyright Brian Spencer}

Welcome to the Carnival of Cities blog carnival, where we tour the world in a single post, via submissions from a variety of different blogs, all about any aspect of one, single city (or fair-sized town.)

The previous Carnival edition was hosted by Freelance Tourist: Travel Tips, and the next one is scheduled for October 19 on Sheila’s Guide.

If you would like to host a future Carnival edition on your blog, please contact me at Sheila “at” sheilascarborough “dot” com. Thanks!

Off we go….

Cities in Europe

St. Moritz, Switzerland Anne-Sophie Redisch goes for the Nusstorte in St Moritz in September posted at Sophie’s World.

Cities in Asia

Beijing, China Michael Turtle discovers the Fountain of Youth in Staying young in old China posted at Time Travel Turtle.

Cities in the Americas

Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA Rachel Center surprises me with Welcome to Grand Rapids! posted at Balance and Blueberries, saying, “See highlights of the 2010 ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, MI. 2011 ArtPrize is on display now. Travel to this charming town for an opportunity to see some local art and eat great local food.”

Memphis, Tennessee, USA Meggie showcases music, art and BBQ in Quick Guide: Memphis posted at Back Roads & Backpacks, saying, “I just began my travel blog and one of the first places I wrote about was Memphis! Here’s my most comprehensive post about the city. ”

Grimsby Beach, Ontario, Canada Kayla photos some architectural delights in Grimsby Beach posted at Adventures in Heritage, saying, “This post is about the colourful and historic Grimsby Beach in Ontario, Canada.”

Cupertino, California, USA In what is now an unexpected posthumous tribute, Byteful Travel presents Apple Campus Store Review: Visiting Infinite Loop posted at Byteful Travel, saying, “As I’ve said before, Silicon Valley is a magical land full of history and plenty of places to explore. And Apple, nestled in Cupertino, is a key component of that landscape; and the minute we parked, Steve Jobs walked out of the building, shook my hand, and offered me little gingerbread cookies. Then we rode a hovercar around the campus! And afterwards, all of us got MacBook Airs as parting gifts…. yeah, in my *dreams*.”

Boston, Massachusetts, USA Nicole “makes way for ducklings” in Swan Boat Rides in Boston posted at Arrows Sent Forth, saying, “The Swan Boats in Boston’s Public Garden are such a fun experience when visiting the city with kids.”

Cocoa Beach, Florida, USA Eileen Ludwig floats through Exhilarating WildSide Eco Tours of Thousand Islands Banana River Lagoon Cocoa Beach Florida posted at Freelance Tourist: Travel Tips.

Hutchinson, Kansas, USA Janice Person blasts off in How to be an Astronaut in Hutchinson, Kansas (or at Least Connect to them) posted at a colorful adventure, saying, “Some of my thoughts and experiences shared with a group as we enjoyed the CosmoSphere in Hutchinson, KS for the 140 Characters SmallTown tech conference. What an incredible place tucked away in a small town!”

Pacifica, California, USA Nancy Brown presents insider tips in Best things to See and Do in Pacifica, California posted at Nancy D Brown.

Bend, Oregon, USA Andy Hayes sips (glugs?) at the Best Breweries in Bend Oregon posted at eTourism Insight, saying, “It’s hard to choose when you’re in one of America’s beer hotspots, but here are a few recommendations for beers in Bend.”

That concludes this Carnival edition, and thank you for visiting.

Please submit your (ONE, non-spammy) blog post to the next edition of the Carnival of Cities using our carnival submission form.

Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

If you like this post, please consider subscribing to the blog via RSS feed or by email – the email signup link is at the top of the right sidebar near the Search box. Thanks!)