Southern lights in Dunedin

Tonight’s aurora forecast for Dunedin, where to watch, and when the sky is usually clear.

The night of Monday 2 November, Dunedin time (GMT+13)

Stay in tonight

Aurora activity looks low tonight.

  • CloudPatchy cloudAverage cloud cover 52% after dark
  • AuroraWeak activityKp 2.3 forecast at its highest
  • DarknessDark from 10:00 PMUntil 5:00 AM
  • MoonRises around 4:00 AM44% lit · brighter after

Medium confidence · Forecast data up to date · What this means

Forecast details
  • Cloud forecast updated 4:31 AM
  • Aurora forecast issued 1:30 AM
  • Recalculated by Little Aurora 5:45 AM
  • This page made 5:48 AM

Dunedin time. The sources’ times say how fresh the forecast is; the page’s own time doesn’t. What these mean

Where to watch near Dunedin

Hoopers Inlet

Coast

Tonight: stay in

Otago Peninsula inlet with very little light pollution and a clear view south.

Getting there
30 min drive
Darkness
Very dark: far from town lights
Safety
Roads to Hoopers and Papanui inlets are narrow, winding and partly unsealed; drive carefully. Take a torch and consider a fluoro jacket or reflector patches.

Directions in Maps · Public sources, not yet visited

Papanui Inlet

Coast

Tonight: stay in

Remote Otago Peninsula inlet that Dunedin astronomer Ian Griffin calls his favourite observing spot.

Getting there
39 min drive
Darkness
Very dark: far from town lights
Safety
Roads to Hoopers and Papanui inlets are narrow, winding and partly unsealed; drive carefully. Take a torch and consider a fluoro jacket or reflector patches.

Directions in Maps · Public sources, not yet visited

Sandfly Bay

Coast

Tonight: stay in

Dark Otago Peninsula beach recommended for aurora, reached by a steep track from a car park.

Getting there
21 min drive
Darkness
Very dark: far from town lights
Parking
Car park at the end of Seal Point Road, off Highcliff Road. Break-ins have happened; leave no valuables.
Good to know
The track crosses private farmland with livestock; stay on the formed track. A good level of fitness is needed.
Safety
Keep at least 20 m from sea lions and 50 m from penguins. The sandhill is steep and eroded; follow the orange marker poles. Unexploded ordnance has been found in the dunes; stay on the track and beach. The track is exposed to tsunami; move to higher ground if a warning sounds.

Directions in Maps · Public sources, not yet visited

Signal Hill Lookout

Hill

Tonight: stay in

Lookout on a hill in the middle of Dunedin where a crowd watched a bright aurora in 2017.

Getting there
11 min drive
Darkness
Some glow: town glow on the horizon

Directions in Maps · Public sources, not yet visited

St Clair Beach

Coast

Tonight: stay in

City beach on the south coast where crowds watched the aurora in May 2024.

Getting there
8 min drive
Darkness
Some glow: town glow on the horizon
Good to know
Traffic was heavy around St Clair and St Kilda beaches during the May 2024 display.

Directions in Maps · Public sources, not yet visited

Times are typical, from the centre of Dunedin by road or path rather than in a straight line, and winter conditions can make them longer. Walking times don’t mean a route is lit or safe on foot in winter; check each spot’s notes.

Questions

Where can you see the southern lights near Dunedin?

This page lists 5 viewing spots near Dunedin; the darkest is Hoopers Inlet (30 min drive). Each has how to get there, parking, winter access and safety notes. Little Aurora picks the best one each night from cloud and darkness.

Aurora data from NOAA and GFZ. Cloud forecasts from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Places and travel times from OpenStreetMap contributors. Usual cloud from Copernicus ERA5 and weather-station records from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet, SMHI and the Icelandic Met Office. Forecasts are never guaranteed; conditions can change quickly. How the forecast works