New Zealand City Already Booking Up for Once-in-850-Years Solar Eclipse

In Dunedin, New Zealand, hotels are filling up two years ahead of a total solar eclipse that will be the first visible from the city in over 850 years. On July 22, 2028, at 4:17 p.m., the moon will slide in front of the sun, casting a 100-kilometer-wide shadow across southern New Zealand. For 2 minutes and 51 seconds, daytime will turn to night in a band stretching from Queenstown to Dunedin.

The Dunedin Leisure Lodge, for one, has already sold out its special eclipse package, which includes complimentary viewing glasses. Dr. Ian Griffin, an astronomer and director of Tūhura Otago Museum, notes the last eclipse seen from Dunedin occurred in 1163—before humans even reached New Zealand. “We’ll be the first people in Dunedin ever to see a solar eclipse from this part of the world,” he says. It’s also the first total solar eclipse visible anywhere in New Zealand since 1965.

The city expects about 35,000 visitors to join its 130,000 residents for the event, which falls just after Matariki, the Māori New Year. Dunedin is planning a night-sky festival linking the two celestial celebrations. Mayor Sophie Barker says anticipation is building across the city. “This remarkable event is now firmly on the horizon,” she adds. Dr. Griffin, who chose his house in 2013 specifically for its eclipse view, sums it up: “Those three minutes of darkness, if clear, will be absolutely memorable for anybody who sees it.”