Southern lights forecast tonight in New Zealand
4 towns across New Zealand, each with tonight's chance from NOAA's Ovation model, updated every 15 minutes. Kp is a 0 to 9 scale of how far the lights reach from the pole, and these towns need Kp 6 to Kp 8 before your eyes pick anything up.
Best tonight
Invercargill
No town in New Zealand has a measurable chance right now. That changes when a storm arrives, so check again after dark.
Invercargill sits closest to the pole in New Zealand, so it needs the least: Kp 6.
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Every town in New Zealand tonight
| Town | Chance now | Your eyes need | Tonight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invercargill | 0% | Kp 6 | Auroras may be visible to your phone now |
| Dunedin | 0% | Kp 7 | Auroras may be visible to your phone now |
| Queenstown | 0% | Kp 7 | Auroras may be visible to your phone now |
| Christchurch | 0% | Kp 8 | No auroras expected right now |
Faint aurora looks gray to your eyes and green to a phone. In New Zealand a phone picks it up from about Kp 4, and your eyes need Kp 6.
Aurora is possible in New Zealand from March to September. The sky has to be dark and clear. Clouds stop everything, and no camera gets around that.
Where people actually stand in New Zealand
Places locals and guides name, with what each one gives you. Every town below has its own page.
Queenstown
Glenorchy
30 km north-west · car
The head of Lake Wakatipu, inside the 2,150 km² Tāhuna Glenorchy Dark Sky Sanctuary certified in 2025. The lake gives a clear line south-east down the water, though Queenstown's glow sits at the far end of it.
Gibbston
23 km east · car
Vineyard terraces in the Kawarau valley east of town, certified as the Kawarau Gibbston Dark Sky Park in 2024. The valley runs east to west, so the southern horizon is ridge rather than sky, and only a bright display clears it.
Bennett's Bluff Viewpoint
17 km west · car
A signposted lookout on the Glenorchy road at 452 m, where the Tāhuna Glenorchy sanctuary boundary begins. The view runs south-east down Lake Wakatipu, past the ridges that hem in Queenstown itself.
Questions about the southern lights in New Zealand
Where in New Zealand is the best place tonight?
Nothing in New Zealand has a measurable chance right now. Invercargill needs the least activity, Kp 6, so it is the first place to light up when a storm arrives.
What Kp do you need to see the southern lights in New Zealand?
Between Kp 6 and Kp 8, depending on how far north the town is. Kp is a 0 to 9 scale of how far the lights reach from the pole. Invercargill needs the least at Kp 6.
When is the best time of year in New Zealand?
Aurora is possible from March to September, because the nights are long enough to be properly dark. A clear sky matters more than the forecast number.
Can an iPhone photograph the southern lights in New Zealand?
Yes, from about Kp 4. A phone picks up aurora that is too faint for your eyes. Rest it on something steady and give it a long exposure. What looks gray to you comes out green on the phone.
Be ready before the next storm hits.
When you're finally standing in the cold under the night you've waited years for, there are no retakes — the sky does its show once and moves on. So pack the jacket, pack the thermos, and pack the one thing that makes the night eternal: the iOS astrophotography app built for auroras. Long after the trip, you'll still have the display itself, moving, in 4K.
- ✦ Set it down and it arms itself
- ✦ 4K timelapse + a still from the session
- ✦ Aurora intelligence tunes every capture
- ✦ Tracks the aurora live — no extra app
- ✦ Apple Watch companion
- ✦ Pay once, own it forever