#dark-sky-sanctuary

#dark-sky-sanctuary

On an empty beach at the bottom of the world, the waves that roll over the sand are midnight blue and lit by the stars and a waxing moon. I'm only vaguely familiar with the constellations that hang above Great Barrier Island, known for centuries to the Māori as Aotea, some 56 nautical miles northeast of Auckland, New Zealand. I'm not all that used to seeing them so clearly,

And while most travelers center their trips on classic destinations such as Big Sky or Yellowstone National Park, very few venture eastward into the Great Plains. Tucked in this wide-open sprawl is Medicine Rocks State Park, a 330-acre parcel of land that usually slips right under most travelers' radars. Here, the landscape is dominated by the Great Plains Badlands, and the atmosphere is quiet, peaceful, and remote.