New Zealand sees no solar eclipse at all in 2026 or 2027. The wait ends on Saturday 22 July 2028, when the total eclipse that crosses Australia earlier in the day reaches the south of the South Island late in the afternoon. Queenstown has 2 minutes 54 seconds of totality at 4:16 p.m. and Dunedin 2 minutes 50 seconds at 4:17 p.m. The rest of the country sees a deep partial eclipse, 93% in Christchurch and 68% in Auckland.

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July 22, 2028: total solar eclipse

Local time. “Sun covered” is the share of the Sun's disc hidden at the best moment that is above the horizon.

November 25, 2030: partial solar eclipse

22 July 2028: Totality in Otago and Fiordland

The Moon's shadow leaves the Australian coast near Sydney, crosses the Tasman Sea and comes ashore in Fiordland. Milford Sound has 2 minutes 55 seconds of totality and Queenstown 2 minutes 54 seconds at 4:16 p.m.; in Queenstown the partial phase begins at 3:07 p.m. and ends at 5:20 p.m. Dunedin, on the east coast, has 2 minutes 50 seconds at 4:17 p.m., and there the Sun sets before the Moon has moved clear. The path is narrow. Invercargill, to the south, is just outside it and sees 99% of the Sun covered, which is not darkness. A midwinter Sun only eight to ten degrees above the north-western horizon means that hills matter: in Queenstown and the fiords the surrounding ranges can hide the Sun at exactly the wrong moment.

The Partial Eclipse in the Rest of the Country

North of the path the eclipse is partial and still large. Christchurch has 93% of the Sun covered at 4:19 p.m., enough for the light to turn dull and cold, and Wellington has 83% at 4:22 p.m. In both cities the Sun sets while the eclipse is still in progress. Auckland sees 68% at 4:23 p.m., with the partial phase lasting from 3:18 p.m. to 5:23 p.m. July weather is the obvious uncertainty, and the low Sun asks for a clear view to the north-west, ideally over water. Eclipse glasses are needed everywhere outside the path for the whole event, and inside the path for everything except the minutes of totality itself.

2026 and 2027: Why Nothing Is Visible

The four eclipses of these two years all fall on the other side of the planet from New Zealand: Antarctica on 17 February 2026, Spain on 12 August 2026, Chile and Argentina on 6 February 2027, and Spain and North Africa on 2 August 2027. In each case New Zealand is either in darkness or outside the Moon's shadow. After 2028 the next eclipse is on 25 November 2030, when a total eclipse over Australia is partial here at sunset, with 33% covered in Queenstown, 30% in Dunedin and 21% in Christchurch as the Sun goes down. Wellington catches only the first few minutes.

After 2028: Hawke's Bay in 2037

New Zealand does not have to wait long for another total eclipse. On 13 July 2037 the path of totality crosses the North Island, and Napier has 2 minutes 19 seconds of totality at 3:49 p.m., again with a low winter Sun. Five years later, on 14 October 2042, an annular eclipse crosses the South Island and puts a ring over Christchurch for 4 minutes 2 seconds, and on 16 February 2045 another ring passes over Wellington for 7 minutes 31 seconds. The years from 2028 to 2045 are an unusually rich run for New Zealand, and the 2028 eclipse in Otago is the first of them.

Frequently asked

What time is the total solar eclipse in New Zealand on 22 July 2028?

Totality is at 4:16 p.m. in Queenstown, lasting 2 minutes 54 seconds, and at 4:17 p.m. in Dunedin, lasting 2 minutes 50 seconds. In Queenstown the partial phase begins at 3:07 p.m.

Will Auckland and Wellington see the 2028 eclipse?

As a partial eclipse. Auckland has 68% of the Sun covered at 4:23 p.m. and Wellington 83% at 4:22 p.m. Christchurch has 93%.

Is there a solar eclipse in New Zealand in 2027?

No. Neither of the solar eclipses of 2027 is visible from New Zealand. The next one is the total eclipse of 22 July 2028.

Solar eclipses by country