There’s something new to discover at Queenstown Airport this summer, and it might just inspire you to look up.
A striking large-scale celebration of our southern night skies has transformed an 8m-wide wall beside the domestic baggage reclaim area, as part of the Three Lakes Cultural Trust’s Creative Spaces Project.
Titled ‘Line of Totality’, the Winterstellar installation brings together four striking astronomical images, from the Milky Way arching over Lindis Pass and the Southern Lights glowing above Alexandra to detailed views of our galaxy captured from the Antimony Observatory in the Kawarau Gibbston Dark Sky Park.
Together, they offer arriving passengers a glimpse of another feature of this beautiful region – the spectacular night skies that often take visitors by surprise.
Winterstellar is a collective of astrophotographers, from professional astronomers and enthusiastic hobbyists to internationally recognised photographers, brought together by a shared passion for the extraordinary night skies of the South Island of New Zealand.
Winterstellar Charitable Trust Chair Prof Brian Boyle says Queenstown has great potential as a gateway for astro-tourism, with two internationally recognised Dark Sky locations within an hour’s drive of the airport. (The other is the Tāhuna Glenorchy Dark Sky Sanctuary at the head of Lake Whakatipu.)
“We live on the 0.1% of the world's inhabited land where it is possible to see the aurora, centre of our Milky Way galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds. These are considered the ‘big three’ in astro-tourism.”
And there’s another reason for excitement.
The installation also introduces Winterstellar's Line of Totality creative programme, looking ahead to the total solar eclipse that will cross the region on 22 July 2028.
Queenstown Airport is delighted to provide an exhibition space for artwork and to take part in the Creative Spaces Project, which brings art out of traditional galleries and into places where people live, work and travel.
Next time you’re at Queenstown Airport, take a moment to enjoy ‘Line of Totality'. It's a great reminder that some of this region's greatest views are overhead.