Dark Sky Sanctuary. World-class beaches. No traffic lights. No rush.
Great Barrier Island — Aotea — sits 100 kilometres northeast of Auckland in the Hauraki Gulf. It's New Zealand's sixth-largest island and home to around 1,100 permanent residents, no traffic lights, no mains power, no big supermarkets.
175° East takes its name from the 175th meridian east — the line of longitude that runs from the North Pole through Great Barrier Island to the South Pole.
The island runs entirely on solar, hydro, wind and generated power. Water is collected from rooftops. Cell coverage is patchy — and that's become its greatest selling point. In a world that never switches off, Great Barrier Island is the place where you can.
In 2017, Aotea was designated an International Dark Sky Sanctuary — one of only a handful in the world. On a clear night, the Milky Way is so vivid it looks artificial.
All houses at 175° East are an 8-minute walk to Medlands Beach — a spectacular 1.5-kilometre stretch of white sand ideal for swimming, surfing, and long walks. It takes about 40 minutes to stroll from one end to the other.
Medlands is the kind of beach that makes you forget about the other 364 days of the year.
You'll feel it change the moment you step off the ferry or the plane. The island doesn't rush. The roads are gravel. People wave at you. The shop might close early because the surf's up.
Not so long ago, Great Barrier could have been called backwards. No mains power, no reticulated water, no streetlights. Now, with its solar-powered homes, rainwater collection, dark sky sanctuary status, and a community that was regenerating native bush long before it was fashionable — the island isn't behind the times. It's ahead of them.
Three houses. Fourteen acres. Eight minutes to the beach.
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