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Sun Rise and Set Times for New Zealand

The table gives the times of Sun rise and Sun set for four centres in New Zealand. These can be used for any year as times will not vary by more than a minute or two on the same date from year to year. Times are for a horizon level with the observer and do not allow for hills or mountains obscuring the horizon.

New Zealand Standard Time (NZST) is used in the winter months and is 12 hours ahead of Universal Time (UT). UT is virtually the same as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT) is used in the Summer months and is 13 hours ahead of UT. NZDT starts on the last Sunday in September (from 2007) and ends on the first Sunday in April (from 2008). (Previously the first Sunday in October and third in March respectively.) Times in the table are in NZST or NZDT as is appropriate.

Times of Moon rise and set are available on the LINZ Astronomical Site for a 12 month period:2007 and 2008

Sun rise and set times starting in:   January       March       May       July       September      November

Sun rise and set in other parts of New Zealand.       RASNZ Home Page.

Detailed times of Sunrise and Sunset for other places in New Zealand can be found on the LINZ astronomical information web pages.

Date Auckland Wellington Christchurch Dunedin
NZDT Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set
Jan 1 06:05 20:43 05:51 20:57 05:52 21:14 05:51 21:31
Jan 11 06:13 20:43 06:01 20:56 06:02 21:12 06:02 21:29
Jan 21 06:24 20:40 06:12 20:51 06:14 21:06 06:15 21:23
Jan 31 06:35 20:33 06:25 20:43 06:28 20:57 06:30 21:12
Feb 10 06:46 20:24 06:38 20:32 06:42 20:45 06:45 20:59
Feb 20 06:56 20:12 06:50 20:18 06:55 20:30 07:00 20:43
Mar 2 07:06 19:59 07:02 20:03 07:09 20:14 07:14 20:25
Mar 12 07:16 19:45 07:14 19:47 07:21 19:57 07:28 20:07
Mar 22 07:25 19:30 07:25 19:30 07:33 19:39 07:42 19:47
Apr 1 07:34 19:15 07:36 19:14 07:45 19:21 07:55 19:28
In 2008 NZDT will end on the first Sunday of April, that is 6 April 2008.
Date Auckland Wellington Christchurch Dunedin
NZST Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set
Apr 11 06:42 18:01 06:46 17:57 06:57 18:04 07:08 18:10
Apr 21 06:51 17:48 06:57 17:42 07:09 17:47 07:21 17:52
May 1 07:00 17:36 07:07 17:28 07:20 17:32 07:34 17:36
May 11 07:08 17:26 07:18 17:16 07:32 17:20 07:46 17:22
May 21 07:16 17:18 07:27 17:07 07:42 17:10 07:58 17:11
May 31 07:24 17:13 07:36 17:01 07:51 17:03 08:08 17:03
Jun 10 07:30 17:11 07:42 16:58 07:58 16:59 08:15 16:59
Jun 20 07:33 17:11 07:47 16:58 08:03 16:59 08:20 16:59
Jun 30 07:35 17:14 07:48 17:01 08:04 17:02 08:21 17:02
Jul 10 07:33 17:19 07:46 17:07 08:01 17:09 08:18 17:09
Jul 20 07:29 17:26 07:40 17:15 07:55 17:17 08:11 17:18
Jul 30 07:22 17:33 07:31 17:24 07:46 17:27 08:01 17:29
Aug 9 07:12 17:41 07:20 17:33 07:33 17:37 07:47 17:40
Aug 19 07:00 17:50 07:07 17:43 07:19 17:48 07:32 17:52
Aug 29 06:47 17:58 06:52 17:53 07:03 17:59 07:14 18:05
Sep 8 06:33 18:06 06:35 18:03 06:45 18:10 06:56 18:17
Sep 18 06:18 18:14 06:18 18:13 06:27 18:21 06:36 18:29
Sep 28 06:02 18:22 06:01 18:23 06:09 18:32 06:17 18:42
In 2007 NZDT will start on the last Sunday of September, that is 30 September 2007.
Date Auckland Wellington Christchurch Dunedin
NZDT Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set Rise Set
Oct 8 06:47 19:30 06:44 19:34 06:51 19:44 06:58 19:55
Oct 18 06:33 19:39 06:28 19:45 06:34 19:56 06:39 20:08
Oct 28 06:21 19:49 06:14 19:57 06:18 20:09 06:22 20:22
Nov 7 06:10 20:00 06:01 20:09 06:05 20:22 06:07 20:37
Nov 17 06:02 20:10 05:51 20:21 05:54 20:36 05:55 20:51
Nov 27 05:57 20:20 05:44 20:33 05:46 20:48 05:46 21:05
Dec 7 05:55 20:30 05:41 20:43 05:42 20:59 05:42 21:17
Dec 17 05:56 20:37 05:42 20:51 05:43 21:08 05:42 21:26
Dec 27 06:01 20:42 05:47 20:56 05:48 21:13 05:47 21:30

Sun rise and set times for other parts of New Zealand

The times of Sun rise and set for other places in New Zealand can mostly be estimated within about 5 minutes from the times in the tables. Note that for places with the same latitude, a difference of 1° in longitude makes a difference of 4 minutes. Times are earlier for places to the east and later for places to the west. Thus Sun rise and set times for places on the west coast are mostly about 12 to 15 minutes later than those for places on the east coast.

In the North Island, Auckland and Wellington are virtually the same longitude, so for places like Hamilton, Taumarunui, Wanganui and Palmerston North, between them, times can be determined by proportion.

Also note that in midsummer, December and January, times of Sun rise for all places on the east coast of New Zealand are almost the same. This is true from East Cape, north of Gisborne in the North Island to Dunedin and Stewart Island in the South Island and includes Wellington. The same applies to the time of Sun set in winter, June and July.

Near the equinoxes, in March and September, latitude is unimportant, the times of Sun rise and set depend on longitude as explained above. That is, places at the same longtitude have similar times of sunrise and sunset, whatever their latitude.

In summer for places with the same longitude, sunrise is earlier and sunset later the further south one goes, ie the hours of daylight are longer. The reverse is true in winter, hours of daylight are less in the south, that is the sun rises later and sets earlier in the south compared to the north, again for places at the same longitude.
Top of Page.      Table of Sun rise and set times.      RASNZ Home Page.