Southern Lights Forecast & Alerts for Invercargill

Oreti Beach sits 6 miles west of Invercargill. Drive to Oreti Beach access points. Park at designated areas. Walk to the beach. The long stretch of sand faces south over the Southern Ocean. Excellent dark sky conditions. Popular with local photographers during aurora alerts.

Multiple vantage points along Oreti Beach provide southern exposure. The beach's accessibility makes it Invercargill's most popular aurora location. During displays, you'll spot other aurora chasers setting up cameras along the sand.

Local secret: Skip busy Oreti Beach and Bluff Hill. Head instead to the old World War II airfield ruins at Awarua. Drive south from Invercargill on State Highway 1 toward Bluff. About 18km south, watch for Awarua Wetland Road on your right. Look for the small brown “Awarua Wetland Track” sign and weathered concrete foundation marker.

Turn onto Awarua Wetland Road. Drive 2.3km to a small gravel parking area. Park here. Walk 200 meters on the wetland track. You'll reach the old airfield concrete foundations and rusted tie-down rings from the WWII Catalina flying boat base. Perfect unobstructed southern views across Awarua Plains toward the ocean. Zero artificial light. The historic ruins create unique foreground. Local Southland astrophotographers know this spot. Almost nobody else does. The ruins mark New Zealand aviation history combined with aurora viewing.

Terrain & Safety: Wear waterproof boots (gumboots or hiking boots are essential)—the path to the concrete pads can be very boggy after rain. The concrete foundations are unfenced, so be careful not to back up into the wetland while looking through your camera viewfinder! The exposed plains location can be very windy. Secure tripods well. Scout during daylight to identify the concrete foundation marker and track access. Cell reception is limited at Awarua. Tell someone where you're going.

The Catlins region east of Invercargill offers dramatic southern coast viewing. Slope Point, New Zealand's southernmost point, sits 90 minutes from Invercargill. Curio Bay with its fossil forest provides unique aurora photography opportunities. These locations deliver exceptional displays due to extreme southern position.

For New Zealand's most reliable aurora viewing, take the ferry from Bluff to Stewart Island. Rakiura (glowing skies) received International Dark Sky Sanctuary designation. Observation Point near Oban provides premier viewing. Stewart Island sees aurora far more frequently than anywhere else in New Zealand. Many Invercargill residents make the trip for dedicated aurora weekends.

Winter months from April through September offer the best chances. Longer nights provide more viewing hours. June and July deliver the darkest conditions. The equinox months of mid-March and mid-September often bring enhanced activity.

Time of night matters. Aurora displays typically peak between 10pm and 3am Invercargill local time. The most intense activity often happens between midnight and 2am. Set your phone alerts to wake you.

Moon phase affects visibility. New moon periods offer the darkest skies. Our alerts account for moon brightness when calculating Invercargill visibility.

Weather conditions are critical. Southland's variable weather creates challenges. Cold, clear winter nights are ideal. Check Invercargill's weather forecast before heading out.

Real-time solar wind conditions matter most. Our monitoring catches displays whenever they develop.