“What? Aurora Australis can only be seen in Antarctica, right?”
New Zealand is indeed a place where you can see the aurora, though it’s not directly under the auroral oval. However, as long as the aurora index is high on autumn and winter nights, looking toward the south, you have a chance to witness the colorful display in the sky—especially if you’re on the South Island.
The previous year at the beginning, I had traveled to Sweden to see the aurora in the Northern Hemisphere. That enchanting and miraculous natural phenomenon left me yearning to see it again. With the thought of “seeing what the Southern Hemisphere’s aurora is like compared to the Northern Hemisphere,” it became one of my wishes for New Zealand. But having already experienced it once, I wasn’t putting myself under the pressure of feeling regretful if I didn’t see it.
—–
After crossing the highest point on the Te Araroa Trail, I followed the ridge down to the hills. All the way, I had beautiful views of snow-covered Mt Cook and serene Lake Tekapo. Moved by the landscape before me, yet my heart felt unusually calm from the soft, warm scenery.
At 5 PM, the sky was still bright. The planned campsite was five kilometers away, with plenty of time to spare, which would help me reach town earlier the next day for supplies.
But what I wanted most at that moment was to stop, to slowly listen to the wind, to let the warm sunshine fall evenly across my body, not just on my head, and then truly savor this landscape that captivated me.
“Why not just camp here!”
I found a flat patch of grass away from the trail and pitched my tent. After pushing hard for quite a while, it was rare to settle down while the daylight was still beautiful. I cooked a simple hiking dinner, and dining in front of this million-dollar view, it was definitely a feast!
—–
I picked up a 3G signal coming from town. After being disconnected from the outside world for several days, I could finally reply to messages.
In the Line group for New Zealand working holiday makers, people were discussing that the aurora index that night was quite high, and someone shared a photo they’d captured of the aurora.
I looked up toward the far end of the lake, and in the distant sky above, a gray band-like mass drifted quickly like clouds. Was that the aurora? On my first night within the Arctic Circle in Sweden, I had seen something like this. That very well could be what the aurora looks like!
I set up the camera, adjusted the long exposure…
After 15 seconds, I saw this magical moment through the camera. The grayish-white area visible to the naked eye had transformed into a palette of interweaving red, yellow, and green—that was the Southern Aurora! And on the other side of the tent, the sky was filled with starlight, with the Milky Way brushed across the heavens.
That night, I lay under the aurora, beneath the stars, in my small but most comfortable tent, and fell asleep with a smile of happiness.
As for what the difference was between the Southern and Northern Aurora, I couldn’t really tell, but that sense of surprise and happiness was entirely the same.
—–
What is happiness, really?
“It’s throwing yourself wholeheartedly into the things you want to do.”
That night, I deeply felt what happiness was.
—–
(Reflecting on diary entry from 2017/4/22)
📍 Te Araroa Trail | New Zealand 3,000 km Hiking Diary| Back to full series directory
