A southern sky illuminated

The aurora australis is a luminous expression of Earth’s magnetic field a visual reply to solar winds travelling millions of kilometres from the Sun. As these charged particles reach Earth, they are drawn towards the polar regions by the magnetosphere. Descending into the upper atmosphere, they collide with gases like oxygen and nitrogen at altitudes between 80 and 500 kilometres, releasing light.

What we see from the ground is a choreography of invisible energy transformed into shifting colour. Each colour has its own cause and altitude. The common green glow is        produced by oxygen around 100 km high. The red, fainter and more elevated, appears above 200 km, also due to oxygen but in thinner atmospheric layers. Violet and blue tones, more fleeting, come from nitrogen and often hover near the horizon low echoes of distant

solar storms.

The shape and intensity of each aurora vary depending on geomagnetic activity and the magnetic latitude of the observer. In southern Aotearoa offer ideal conditions for witnessing the aurora. Their proximity to the Antarctic Circle, combined with dark skies and clear southern horizons, makes these landscapes natural portals to space. On still, moonless nights, when the Sun speaks loudly and the Earth listens, the sky opens like breath: a slow-drifting curtain, a glow that seems only half of this world.

Maoris and Auroras

The Māori were keen observers of the night sky, using it not only for navigation but also to guide agricultural cycles and spiritual life. While there is no evidence of a systematic study of the aurora australis in the same way they studied the stars, such as Matariki, the Pleiades, it is clear that unusual lights in the sky were seen as significant events. In many traditions, they were interpreted as signs of important changes or the presence of wairua (spiritual beings).

Although the aurora australis was not a frequent or widely recorded phenomenon across all Māori traditions, there are some names and regional references associated with certain iwi (tribes) or rohe (territories):

 -Ngā Kōrero o Te Rangi (“the stories of the sky”)                                                                   One of the most commonly cited names in recent times, used in a symbolic and spiritual sense. While not specific to a single iwi, it has gained recognition as a poetic and respectful way to refer to the aurora in contemporary contexts.

​ -Tahu-nui-a-Rangi (“the great fire of the sky”)

 In some traditions — particularly in the Te Waipounamu (South Island) region — this name was used to describe unusual or bright            lights in the sky. Some researchers interpret it as a possible historical reference to the aurora. It also appears in karakia (prayers)            and chants related to the heavens and celestial knowledge.

​-Uira-a-Tai (“lightning over the sea”)

Though not a direct reference to the aurora, this term appears in some southern coastal areas and may have been used to describe distant luminous phenomena on the horizon — possibly linked to the aurora on particularly clear nights.

-Te Umu Kōrekore (“the oven of emptiness” or “oven of silence”)

A highly symbolic name attributed by some southern rangatira (leaders) to describe parts of the sky where rare or sacred events occurred, such as the aurora. It implies a zone of transformation or spiritual contact.

​While not all of these names are confirmed as being exclusively about the aurora, they reflect the deep attention given to unusual sky lights and how these were often woven into local cosmology, depending on the worldview of each iwi.

To witness the aurora is to live a one-of-a-kind experience. The eye never sees it as the camera does, and the camera can never feel what the heart perceives. Beyond the dancing light, the true magic lies in sharing the moment, in sensing the deep connection with nature, and in becoming part of a sky alive with wonder.