Matariki and Solar Maximum
June 10, 2025
June marks the beginning of winter here in New Zealand, a time when the nights are longest and the skies above shine with the magnificent stars of the Southern Hemisphere. June is also the time of Matariki, New Zealand’s newest public holiday, when Māori celebrate the first rising of Matariki, or the Pleiades, in the early morning. And on top of that, the 18-year solar cycle hits its peak in 2025, so it’s a time of especially high solar activity, which usually means a high probability of sighting an aurora.
Already this month we were treated to a truly epic aurora on 1 June, when the beams of light were visible to the naked eye. We took our guests out to the waterfront for an hour or so of enjoying the scene and capturing it on cameras for posterity.
If you’d like to enjoy this “stellar” time of the year, this is an excellent opportunity to visit Oamaru and experience our hospitality with all its warmth, and we have special wintertime rates to make it even more appealing. Just visit our booking page and choose your dates!