New Zealand5 places
Southern Lights in Waikato Region, New Zealand
In Waikato Region the aurora is visible from about Kp 9, first near Taupō. Taupō has the darkest skies among the larger places.
Weather in Waikato Region
General forecast for Taupō, the main town in Waikato Region. Tonight's cloud cover for every town is on its aurora page.
Planning further ahead? See the hour-by-hour weather forecast for Taupō on Atlas of Seasons.
Best months in Waikato Region
Share of nights 2005–2025 that were dark, active enough here and mostly clear.
Activity of Kp 9 or more is too rare here for monthly odds to be meaningful. The table still shows how often nights are clear and dark.
All years Near solar maximum Near solar minimum
- Kp 0–2 Quiet Only under the auroral oval: northern Norway, Swedish and Finnish Lapland, Iceland, Alaska, northern Canada.
- Kp 3 Unsettled Bright in the Arctic; low on the horizon in central Scandinavia and southern Iceland.
- Kp 4 Active Overhead in the Arctic; low in the north from southern Norway, Sweden, Finland and northern Scotland.
- Kp 5 Minor storm (G1) Scotland, southern Scandinavia, the Baltic states, the northern US states and southern Canada.
- Kp 6 Moderate storm (G2) Northern England, Denmark, northern Germany and Poland, the US Midwest — often clearer in photos than to the eye.
- Kp 7 Strong storm (G3) camera in Taupō Most of the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czechia; red glow in photos from France and the northern Alps.
- Kp 8 Severe storm (G4) Central Europe to the eye; red sky in photos from northern Italy, Spain, the Balkans and Turkey's Black Sea coast.
- Kp 9 Extreme storm (G5) eye in Taupō Seen across Europe and the US; in photos as far south as the Mediterranean, Turkey and North Africa (May 2024).
The town pages in this region also cover 86 villages and districts nearby.
Smaller places
- CambridgeKp 9+
- Te AwamutuKp 9+
- TokoroaKp 9+