The shortest day of the year is upon us – the day with the least amount of available sunlight is Wednesday June 21st. Generally speaking the days and nights around the Solstice are all the same length – but after this precise moment the Southern Hemisphere begins the very slow tilt back towards the sun …and yes… that means summer.While Wednesday is the shortest day of the year, it won’t be until later in July or even early August that most New Zealanders will start to notice it.
Some things will not look right and things might not work properly. New Zealand has some long nights ahead. Just like the longest flights on the planet the length of tonight’s darkness is over 14.5 hours in Auckland and 15.5 hours at the end of the country in Dunedin. Please download an up-to-date and free browser from The shortest day of the year is upon us – the day with the least amount of available sunlight is Wednesday June 21st.New Zealand has some long nights ahead. On the 21st the sunrise is around 7:48am and sunset 5:00pm in Wellington, giving just over 9 hours of potential sunshine for the capital. The Shortest Day June 21st is the Northern Solstice and marks the shortest day here in the Southern Hemisphere. During summer the day of the solstice is the longest day of the year and during winter the day of the solstice is the shortest day of the year. Current date: August 28, 2020: Current time: 01:34: Sunrise today: 06:48 Sunset today Your web browser (Internet Explorer) is out of date. June 21st is the Northern Solstice and marks the shortest day here in the Southern Hemisphere. Solstices occur on 20 th or 21 st June and 21 st or 22 nd December each year. June 2020 — Sun in Auckland June Solstice (Winter Solstice) is on Sunday, June 21, 2020 at 9:43 am in Auckland. Sunrise and sunset Auckland, New Zealand. Just like the longest flights on the planet the length of tonight’s darkness is over 14.5 hours in Auckland and 15.5 hours at the end of the country in Dunedin.In the Deep South (Southland) the total amount of available sunlight at the moment (that means, if it’s not a cloudy day and you have a clear sunrise and sunset) is around 8 and a half hours each day. In terms of daylight Wednesday is 5 hours shorter than back at Christmas/New Year.Those around Southland and Otago have a day that’s 7 hours shorter than the longest day.Wellington and Christchurch around 6 hours less sunlight (+/- 30 mins).The Winter Solstice is an exact moment in time: 4:24pm on Wednesday June 21st in New Zealand this year (it changes a bit each year). In terms of daylight, this day is 5 hours, 4 minutes shorter than on December Solstice.
In these days the sun in Wellington rises at 6:53. Oh and one last thing – the days generally get colder now. The next several weeks are usually the coldest.Welcome to the start of winter on the Astronomical Calendar! During June it is Summer Solstice in the Northern hemisphere and Winter Solstice in the Southern hemisphere. The timing of sunrise and sunset varies from location to location, sunrise in Gisborne being almost an hour earlier than in Invercargill. *WeatherWatch.co.nz has 1500 sunrise and sunset locations on our free app and website, more than any other NZ forecaster. The early sunset at 17:51 makes the day currently a bit too short. Check the times where you are You are saying Wednesday June 21st, I guess you mean Friday June 21st.This article was from back in 2017, the 21st then was a Wednesday.High pressure and varying cooler and warmer airflows are going to impact NZ off and on for the next week…As an anticyclone lies over the South Island tonight expect very cold temperatures to develop, cold overnight lows can be…High pressure and varying cooler and warmer airflows are going to impact NZ off and on for the next week…Mainly dry for the lower South Island today, showers about the upper half clearing during by midday. Sunrise, sunset and moon phases in over 35 locations all across New Zealand today. Back to overview: New Zealand You can find the sunrise and sunset times for the next ten days on the forecast pages at This information is provided for your own personal non-commercial use in accordance with the MetService website On the 21st the sunrise is around 7:48am and sunset 5:00pm in Wellington, giving just over 9 hours of potential sunshine for the capital. Around 9 hours in the middle etc.Being closer to the equator Northerners have longer daytime in winter, but they still have a big cut in sunlight hours compared to back at Christmas time and Summer. In locations south of Equator, the shortest day of the year is around this date. While in northern New Zealand it’s slightly longer at 9 and three quarter hours. Expect rain or…Morning sun rise over Te Kopuru on a beautiful clear morning last winter / Richard Hurle.