Sunrise and sunset in New Zealand

Average length of day in Wellington

The following graph shows the times of sunrise and sunset over the course of the year. The duration of twilight can be seen at the top and bottom edges. The vertical offset between September and April shows the effect of daylight saving time, when the time is set one hour ahead.
      sunshine duration       twilight phase

Sunrise and sunset in the most important cities of New Zealand

The cities are ordered by their geographic position from east to west, so in an approximate direction of the sun's course. Since the orbit around the sun is elliptical, sunrise or sunset never happen on a whole longitude at the same time. All data given for March 22nd., localtime in New Zealand

The latitude determines the length of the day

Despite the great distance to the equator, the days are still over 9 hours long even in June. In the land of the Kiwis, the longest days are in December, with just over 15 hours. In June, however, they last about 9 hours in Wellington and start about 2 hours later.

The first sunrise and therefore also the first sunset can be experienced at the easternmost point: The East Cape north-east of Gisborne. The lighthouse there is open for tourists and offers a wide view of the Pacific. Mount Hikurangi is a bit further inland, but at 1752 meters it offers an even better and earlier view of the sun. However, one should bring along a bit of adventurousness, because even from the parking lot it is still a 3-4 hour climb. This is rewarded already before sunrise with a crystal clear starry sky, which is not disturbed by any light smog away from the cities.

With more than 2300 hours of sunshine per year, depending on the region, New Zealand is extremely sunny. Of course, this also has to do with the distance to the equator, but not only. Due to the exposed location in the Pacific Ocean and the narrow shape of the island chain, the climate is completely different and clouds do not stay in front of huge mountain ranges for long.

The up to 3700 meters high New Zealand Alps are also known for their sunsets. As in Switzerland, the effective alpenglow is created here by sunlight falling at an angle and reflected on steep walls.

Sunrise and sunset by month (Wellington)

Duration of the sunset

The distance from the equator and the path of the sun determines not only the time of sunrise and sunset. The farther a country is from the equator, the more oblique the sun's path is to the horizon, causing sunset to last for a different duration. Wellington lies on the 41st degree of southern latitude and is therefore very far away from the equator. While a sunset near the equator lasts only about 20 minutes, in New Zealand, this period averages 35 minutes. In June, it's about 32 minutes in Wellington, while in December it's 38 minutes.

International cities for comparison