Aurora destinations · Southern Hemisphere
Southern lights in Lake Tekapo
New Zealand · 44.00°S, 170.48°E
Lake Tekapo lies outside the auroral oval: aurora needs a geomagnetic storm, a few times a month around solar maximum (magnetic latitude 51°). Light pollution: the sky here is dark.
Open the live forecast for Lake Tekapo
At a glance
- Good odds: from Kp 4.6 at a dark site
- Best months: September, March and June
- Best weeks in the coming year: 24 Feb – 16 Mar · 26 May – 15 Jun · 23 Jun – 13 Jul
- Dark enough for aurora all year
Month by month
A typical night: real darkness and moon, average aurora activity (Kp 2014–2025) and satellite cloud cover (NASA, 2001–2025). Long-range odds, not a forecast.
| Month | Typical night | Clear sky | Dark hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3% | 33% | 7 h |
| February | 4% | 36% | 9 h |
| March | 4% | 37% | 10 h |
| April | 4% | 38% | 12 h |
| May | 4% | 38% | 13 h |
| June | 4% | 42% | 14 h |
| July | 4% | 42% | 13 h |
| August | 4% | 38% | 12 h |
| September | 4% | 36% | 11 h |
| October | 4% | 33% | 9 h |
| November | 3% | 31% | 7 h |
| December | 3% | 30% | 7 h |
Tips for Lake Tekapo
- Clouds decide most nights: check the hour-by-hour forecast, and the “Clearer skies nearby” card for a spot within a drive.
- Aurora is usually best between about 22:00 and 02:00 local time; give your eyes 15 minutes in the dark.
- The sky is already dark here: find an open view to the south.