Last night's Aurora Australis was the most amazing display an astrophotographer has ever seen, he says.
Ethan Takerei and his family watch the Aurora Australis near Motukarara, south of Christchurch. Photo: Supplied / Mark-Haze photography
The Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, is often seen in the winter, when the skies are dark and there is no cloud.
Pictures of the Aurora have been flooding social media since it was seen last night.
Part-time astrophotographer Mark Takerei said he took his Australian family to Motukarara, south of Christchurch, to see the lights for the first time.
He said it was the most incredible he had ever seen.
"It was the most craziest experience... I was speechless," he said.
Mr Takerei said he wanted to show his parents, who live in Sydney, what the Aurora looked like to the naked eye.
He said it was a lot harder to view the Aurora in Australia.
"You would have to drive two and a half hours out of Sydney just to get a glimpse of it," he said.
Metservice meteorologist Andy Best said the Aurora was a winter phenomenon.
"You tend to see it when we get darker skies and clearer conditions", he said.
Mr Best said they are prevalent across the South Island, but could be seen further north.
"They can be seen as far north as Wellington, and even the mid-North Island if there is a particularly good display of them," he said.
Mr Best said organisations such as NASA offered a forecast for when the Aurora Australis could be seen.