特卡波湖：这里星空独好

From+mydestination.com++阿琼

在梵高那些描绘星夜的画作面前，很少有人不会心醉神迷。星空具有致幻、安慰、愉悦等种种奇效。在暂时不能穿行于星辰之海的现在，我们至少可以在这个星球上寻找一处最迷人的、最宜仰望星空的地方。

If you were to arrive at Canterbury's Lake Tekapo at certain times of the year you could be forgiven for thinking you had just stumbled across1） a movie set. The backdrop of lilac2）-hued and snow-capped mountains， the vibrant3） and changing blue of sparkling lake waters， tree-fringed4） shores and rippling swathes5） of purple-flowering lupins6） make up a scene so idyllic7） it is hard to believe such a place exists outside of the movie theatre.

However， as perfect as this is， there is another extra special something which happens here too； something which very definitely continues on the theme of natural phenomena displays of the amazing variety—stargazing.

Now anyone who has wandered away from the New Zealand cities will tell you the skies hovering over this country seem to be more star-filled than anywhere else they've known. That's what happens in a country with so few citizens—the light pollution is either kept centralised8） or to a minimum.

However， the area around Lake Tekapo has reached a whole new level in the realms of light-leak elimination and has been recognised and awarded "Dark Sky Reserve" status by the International Dark Sky Association. With this status， this area， the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve， joins the ranks of an elite9） global few： It is both the world's largest and the Southern Hemisphere's first. What's more， it has secured itself the Association's highest possible status—the gold ranking.

In short， this means the skies of Mackenzie offer great opportunities for viewing the wonders of the universe and some incredible facilities for making the very most of that dark， dark sky.

Located at 1，029 metres on one of the towering peaks which surround Lake Tekapo at Mount John is the Mt John University Observatory—a high tech astronomical research station operated by the University of Canterbury. As one of the principle goals of the Aoraki Mackenzie Reserve is to promote star-gazing and astro-tourism， this observatory is also open to the public.

Sharing mountain top space with the Mt John University Observatory， the Astro-Cafe is the uber-10）modern glass-walled and roofed cafe where you can tuck into11） home-made treats while drinking in12） the jaw-droppingly beautiful alpine and turquoise13） lake views. Lonely Planet14） has the cafe down as15） "possibly the best place on the planet for coffee".

You can head up the mountain on foot or take a scenic 15 minute drive from Lake Tekapo town centre. If you happen to be on one of the observatory tours， the Astro-Cafe is where you'll pick up your hot chocolate for free—by candlelight of course so as not to spoil the dark sky advantage of the fantastic night-sky viewing you're about to be enchanted by.

如果你在一年中的某些时间来到新西兰坎特伯雷地区的特卡波湖，以为自己恰好偶然发现了一处电影布景，那也情有可原。积雪覆顶的淡紫色山脉是背景，波光粼粼的湖水呈明亮而富于变化的蓝色，绿树装点着湖岸，开着紫色花朵的羽扇豆构成了一条条波动起伏的彩带。这些组成了一幅如此充满田园诗意的景象，让人很难相信电影院之外还存在这样的地方。

然而，尽管这已如此完美，这里还有另一个非常独特之处；而这独特之处无疑是对展示令人惊叹的多种自然现象这一主题的延伸，那就是观星。

现在任何一个曾从新西兰那些城市里走出来的人都会告诉你，高悬在这一地区上的天空似乎有更多的星星，比他们知道的其他任何地方的都要多。这经常是在人口十分稀少的地区——光污染要么很集中要么就被控制在最低的程度。

不过，特卡波湖的周围地区在清除光泄露领域已经达到了一个全新的水平，得到国际黑暗天空协会的认可并被授予“黑暗天空保护区”的身份。凭借这一身份，该地区，即奥拉基麦肯奇国际黑暗天空保护区，跻身全球为数不多的、一流的天空保护区的行列：它既是世界上第一大，也是南半球的第一个天空保护区。此外，它还获得了在国际黑暗天空协会可能获得的最高身份——黄金级。

简单来说，这意味着麦肯奇的天空为观赏宇宙中的那些奇观提供了绝佳的机会，也带来了一些不可思议的便利，可以让这一片黑暗的天空得到最大限度的利用。

特卡波湖四周都是高耸的山峰，在其中的约翰山山顶海拔1029米的地方，建有约翰山大学天文台——由坎特伯雷大学运营的高科技天文学研究站。鉴于奥拉基麦肯奇保护区的主要目标之一就是促进观星和天文观测旅游，所以这个天文台也对公众开放。

与约翰山大学天文台一道坐落在山顶的还有天文咖啡馆，这是一家有着玻璃墙和玻璃屋顶的超现代咖啡馆，在这里你可以一边狼吞虎咽地享受家常美食，一边陶醉于美得令人惊叹的高山美景和青绿色的湖景。《孤独星球》杂志将这家咖啡馆描述为“也许是地球上最适合喝咖啡的地方”。

你可以徒步走上山，也可以从特卡波湖镇中心开车走15分钟上去，沿途都是美景。如果你正巧是来参加天文观测游的，那么天文咖啡馆就是你可以喝免费热巧克力的地方——当然是在烛光之下，这样才不会破坏造就了这里超凡夜景的黑暗天空，而你正要为之迷醉。