Aurora australis Oamaru tonight

A limestone outcrop in the Waitaki Valley farmland, surrounded by flat tussock and pastoral land. The pale boulders provide a distinctive foreground option for aurora photography. The surrounding farmland is open in all directions with no significant light sources, giving an unobstructed southern horizon and Bortle Class 2 conditions. The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve begins approximately 30 km further northwest, so the sky darkens progressively in that direction. At Kp 3-4, aurora australis appears as a pale arc above the southern horizon from this position. Park on the roadside and walk to the rock field for the best unobstructed view south.

A low headland at the southern end of Oamaru, above the Oamaru Harbour and the blue penguin colony. A viewing platform faces southeast across Friendly Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Oamaru's town glow is to the north and northwest, leaving the eastern and southeastern horizon relatively unaffected. From the cape track south of the colony, aurora australis appears to the south-southeast over open ocean. Practical for short-notice aurora observations without leaving town. Not as dark as the Waitaki Valley, but usable for Kp 4+ events.

A small Waitaki River township at the foot of the Hakataramea Pass. The surrounding upper valley is in the rain shadow of the Southern Alps and has lower cloud frequency than the Oamaru coast. Bortle Class 2 conditions from the valley floor. The hydro lakes further northwest - Benmore, Aviemore, Waitaki - give south-facing open lake-surface positions with excellent southern horizon access. Lake Benmore at 85 km northwest sits at the southern margin of the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve. Drive west from Kurow along the north bank of the Waitaki River for progressively darker sky with wider southern views.