Stargazing rankings for 10 cities across New Zealand. Cities are sorted by current overall score (sky darkness, moon, weather, and viewing window).
Lightest Skies in New Zealand
The lightest skies in New Zealand right now are in Palmerston North (55), followed by Manukau City (57), Auckland (57). Currently, 0 out of 10 monitored cities in New Zealand have a stargazing score below 40.
Palmerston North
New Zealand
Current score
Manukau City
New Zealand
Current score
Auckland
New Zealand
Current score
Christchurch
New Zealand
Current score
Hamilton
New Zealand
Current score
Lower Hutt
New Zealand
Current score
Tauranga
New Zealand
Current score
Dunedin
New Zealand
Current score
Wellington
New Zealand
Current score
Hastings
New Zealand
Current score
Understanding Sky Darkness Score
Excellent
Very dark skies with minimal artificial light. Ideal for deep-sky observation.
Good
Dark skies suitable for most stargazing. Some distant glow may be visible.
Moderate
Noticeable sky glow from nearby towns. Brighter objects remain visible.
Poor
Strong light pollution limits visibility of fainter stars and the Milky Way.
Severe
Heavy urban sky glow. Only the brightest stars and planets are easy to see.
The sky darkness score runs from 0 to 100. Higher scores mean darker skies with less artificial light at night. Lower scores indicate brighter, more light-polluted skies.
Last updated: 20 Sep 17:49
