A five-hour ferry journey from Auckland central sends you across deep ocean and back in time.With no mains, power, or electricity, residents on Great Barrier Island—or Aotea—get by the old-fashioned way, using wood fires, solar panels and diesel generators. The lack of light pollution recently made it the first island in the world to receive an international dark sky sanctuary status.Aotea/Great Barrier Island has a strong community at its heart. Parties quickly become large gatherings of locals who all seem to know each other. Disputes might still be resolved in punch-ups, and hunting culture is supreme with trophies for boar hunting and fishing highly coveted.
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