By Kylie Ruwhiu-Karawana
Something is shifting. In a world where we spend too much time looking down at our screens, the stars are quietly reclaiming our attention, and we are starting to look up. And in doing so, they’re offering us more than awe—they’re reconnecting us to place, to people, and to purpose. Tourism is playing a central role in this reconnection, as more destinations lean into their celestial tapestry to create meaningful and memorable experiences.
Not everyone knows this about me, but while I’m the Managing Director of TRC Tourism, I also have the privilege of co-owning and operating a family Māori tourism business here in Ōtepoti Dunedin with my husband. My part in that is to interpret our southern skies through a distinctly cultural lens—sharing stories of celestial navigation, lunar cycles, and my people’s deep relationship with the night sky. My love of the stars is something I share with my late father and my tīpuna. For us, the stars are more than science or scenery; they are whakapapa, memory, identity, and guidance.
This passion has followed me into my work with communities and regions across Australasia and the Pacific. Increasingly, I’ve been helping destinations unlock the potential of stargazing—not just as a tourism offering, but as a way to drive social, cultural, environmental, and economic benefit and create avenues for the transference of knowledge to future generations. We’ve supported regions to identify special sky-viewing sites, develop Indigenous-led narratives, and build experiences that don’t just attract visitors but invite them into something deeper. Something timeless.
Recently, I was in the beautiful Armidale region, supporting the validation of their proposed Destination Management Plan. While there, I was invited to deliver a stargazing tour for inspirational Ag-Tech conference delegates. Under the cool night sky, we shared stories, laughter, and song—all beneath the ancient patterns of stars that have guided people for thousands of years. It was, quite honestly, the best kind of “work”: the kind that reminds you why you do what you do.
Because stargazing isn’t just an experience. It’s an invitation—to pause, to wonder, and to remember our place in something much bigger than ourselves.
So the next time you’re travelling, or planning a trip, make time to get out where the night sky still stretches wide and clear. Whether you find yourself on a remote beach, a windswept hilltop, or in a dark sky reserve guided by local stories, take a moment to look up. You might just find that the stars have something to say—and that tourism, at its best, gives us the space to listen.
