Covid 19 coronavirus: Concern as Air NZ to use international aircrew for Southern Lights charter flight
12 Mar, 2021 12:25 AM
5 minutes to read
The flight will enter into the southern auroral window, southeast of New Zealand. Photo / Supplied
Air New Zealand s decision to staff its chartered Southern Lights flight with international crew has raised the eyebrows of staff and a leading epidemiologist.
Tour company Viva Expeditions has chartered a Boeing 787 for the keen aurora hunters as they chase the Southern Lights on March 20.
The flight is being headed by Otago s Dr Ian Griffin and will have a team of astrophysicists on board.
It is timed to coincide with the autumnal equinox, and will bring aspiring astro-tourists to the lights, flying south to almost within the Antarctic circle.
Seven of the best places to see the Southern Lights
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This competition has closed. A winner has been selected and notified. Many travellers dream of chasing the Northern Lights in the Arctic Circle. But did you know there is a southern counterpart which is equally spectacular? Known as the Southern Lights, or Aurora Australis, the phenomenon is only visible in the southern hemisphere. When conditions are just right, you might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them from remote parts of New Zealand – but for front row views, your best option is to get on a special scenic flight. Back in 2017, Otago Museum director and astronomer Dr Ian Griffin organised the first ever commercial flight to see the Southern Lights, flying to an area over the Southern Ocean where the lights tend to shine the brightest. All 154 seats were snapped up within five days.
Win a seat to the Southern Lights on an aurora hunting charter flight
22 Feb, 2021 03:42 AM
2 minutes to read
Aurora hunters: Thanks to science a spectacular lightshow is almost guaranteed. Photo / Shandell Venegas, Unsplash
NZ Herald
A travel company is gearing up to deliver New Zealand s most ambitious scenic charter flight in years, and they re offering a seat for free.
Packing an Air New Zealand Dreamliner with aurora hunters and astrological experts the Southern Lights flight departs from Christchurch Airport next month with an almost guaranteed sighting of the Aurora Australis.
The legendary Southern Lights are famously illusive. The reliance on cloud-free heavens and solar flares mean they are rarely seen in the skies over Southern New Zealand. Most have never witnessed the auroras. However the tour company Viva Expeditions has stacked the odds in the favour of the flyers.
Mt John Observatory offers a night with NZ s biggest telescope
16 Feb, 2021 08:39 PM
2 minutes to read
Mt John Observatory is New Zealand s leading obsevatory, it s also the most scenic. Photo / Supplied
Mt John Observatory is New Zealand s leading obsevatory, it s also the most scenic. Photo / Supplied
NZ Herald
For the fist time the University of Canterbury will be opening the doors of its mountain-top observatory to the public in a stellar overnight experience. It ll be just them, the experts and 50 million distant solar systems.
Mt John Observatory is a haven for astronomers in the Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve. The six high-powered telescopes are normally only seen by researchers. Since 1965 Mt John has become a site of pilgrimage for astro-tourism. However few guests get access to New Zealand s most powerful telescopes – let alone for the whole night.
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