Sunrise & sunset times in Christchurch
Sunrise in Christchurch today is at 07:01 and sunset is at 19:37, giving 12h 36m of daylight (times for Friday, 2 October 2026, in Christchurch's local time zone). Evening golden hour runs 18:59 to 19:37. The moon is a waning gibbous at 66% illumination.
Live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, golden hour, blue hour and moon times for Christchurch, New Zealand. Pick any date to see the light for that day in local time.
On the 2026 June solstice the sun rises at 08:02 and sets at 16:59 in Christchurch (8h 56m of daylight). On the December solstice it rises at 05:43 and sets at 21:09 (15h 26m).
| Event | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:30 | 19:43 | 12h 14m |
| June solstice | 08:02 | 16:59 | 8h 56m |
| September equinox | 06:19 | 18:25 | 12h 6m |
| December solstice | 05:43 | 21:09 | 15h 26m |
Full sun timeline for Christchurch
Civil dawn, when the sky starts to brighten before sunrise.
The moment the top edge of the sun appears on the horizon.
End of the soft, warm morning light photographers love.
The sun reaches its highest point in the sky for the day.
Start of the warm, low evening light before sunset.
The moment the sun dips fully below the horizon.
Civil dusk, when the last usable daylight fades.
Golden hour and blue hour in Christchurch
The best windows for warm and cool natural light on this date.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Day length |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 06:05 | 21:10 | 15h 6m |
| February | 06:47 | 20:39 | 13h 52m |
| March | 07:23 | 19:53 | 12h 30m |
| April | 07:01 | 17:56 | 10h 55m |
| May | 07:35 | 17:15 | 9h 40m |
| June | 08:00 | 16:58 | 8h 58m |
| July | 07:58 | 17:12 | 9h 14m |
| August | 07:25 | 17:43 | 10h 19m |
| September | 06:32 | 18:17 | 11h 45m |
| October | 06:40 | 19:51 | 13h 11m |
| November | 05:56 | 20:32 | 14h 36m |
| December | 05:42 | 21:05 | 15h 24m |
Sun and moon in Christchurch
Stargazers, dog walkers and commuters rely on the daily sun and moon schedule for Christchurch, New Zealand. This page shows live sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length, morning and evening golden hour, blue hour, dawn and dusk, plus the current moon phase and the moonrise and moonset times for Christchurch. Every value is calculated in the browser for the date you pick and shown in the local time of Christchurch, New Zealand. Christchurch sits at roughly 43.53 degrees south, in the southern hemisphere, so it sees a clear but moderate seasonal swing, with noticeably longer days in summer and cosier, earlier sunsets in winter. Because the length of the day changes with the seasons, the exact sunrise and sunset in Christchurch shift from week to week. Pick any date with the date picker to see how the light will fall on a specific day, which is handy for planning a shoot, an event, a wedding, a flight or simply the best moment to catch the last warm light of the evening. Golden hour, that soft warm window near sunrise and sunset, is the favourite of photographers in Christchurch. Blue hour, the cooler stretch just before sunrise and just after sunset, is ideal for cityscapes and long exposures. Combined with the moon phase and moon times, this gives you a complete picture of natural light over Christchurch, New Zealand for any day of the year.
What time is sunset in Christchurch today?
The sun sets in Christchurch at 19:37 today, Friday, 2 October 2026, in Christchurch's own local time. The warm light starts well before that: evening golden hour opens at 18:59, giving 38 minutes of low golden light before the sun reaches the horizon. Sunset is not the end of the light either. Last light, the moment usable daylight ends at civil dusk, follows 29 minutes later at 20:06, and the sky is properly dark at 21:15, 1h 38m after sunset.
Tomorrow the sun sets at 19:37 (just after midnight) in Christchurch. That is 1 minute 10 seconds later than today. Over the coming week sunset moves 8 minutes 15 seconds later.
Planning around the light? See golden hour in Christchurch.
Is the day getting longer or shorter in Christchurch right now?
Christchurch gets 12h 33m of daylight today, from sunrise to sunset. Tomorrow will be 2 minutes 58 seconds longer. Over the next seven days Christchurch gains 20 minutes 46 seconds of daylight.
That pace is not constant. In Christchurch the day length changes fastest around April, near the equinox, when it moves by about 5 minutes 51 seconds per day, and it slows almost to a stop at the solstices in June and December. The word solstice means exactly that: the sun standing still.
When are the earliest and latest sunrise and sunset in Christchurch?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Christchurch falls on 27 September at 18:30, 85 days before the December solstice, and the latest on 26 September at 18:30.
Sunrise runs on its own schedule: earliest on 11 December at 05:41, latest on 27 June at 08:03, 6 days after the June solstice. One of these dates is pinned by the clocks rather than by the sky: a daylight saving change in Christchurch moves sunrise and sunset by a whole hour overnight, so the earliest and latest times on the clock land on either side of it. The rest is astronomy. Earth's orbit is slightly elliptical and its axis is tilted, so the sun runs a few minutes fast or slow against clock time through the year. That offset, the equation of time, is what pushes the earliest sunset ahead of the shortest day and the latest sunrise behind it.
| Extreme | Date | Local time | Why then |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earliest sunrise | 11 Dec 2026 | 05:41 | 10 days before the December solstice |
| Latest sunrise | 27 Jun 2026 | 08:03 | 6 days after the June solstice |
| Earliest sunset | 27 Sept 2026 | 18:30 | 85 days before the December solstice |
| Latest sunset | 26 Sept 2026 | 18:30 | the last evening before the clocks go forward |
These are wall-clock times, so Christchurch's daylight saving change is part of the picture: an hour moved by the clocks counts the same as an hour moved by the Earth.
For the longest and shortest day themselves, see day length in Christchurch.
How long does twilight last in Christchurch?
First light in Christchurch arrives 29 minutes before sunrise today, at 06:32. After sunset the light hangs on for another 29 minutes, until 20:06. That evening stretch is not the same all year in Christchurch: it runs from 28 minutes at its shortest, in March, to 36 minutes at its longest, in December. The lower the angle at which the sun crosses the horizon, the longer twilight lasts, which is why dusk is a slow affair at high latitudes and abrupt near the equator.
Full three-band twilight tables: dawn in Christchurch and dusk in Christchurch.
How high does the sun get in Christchurch?
At midday on the December solstice the sun stands 69.9 degrees above the horizon in Christchurch. On the June solstice it climbs only 23.1 degrees. A midday sun that low throws a shadow about 2.3 times the height of whatever casts it, so even at noon in midwinter the shadows in Christchurch are long ones.
Frequently asked questions about Christchurch
What time is sunrise in Christchurch today?
The sun rises in Christchurch, New Zealand at 07:01 on Friday, 2 October 2026, and sets at 19:37. Use the date picker above to check sunrise for any other day. All times are given in the local time zone of Christchurch.
When is golden hour in Christchurch?
Christchurch has two golden hours each day. On Friday, 2 October 2026 the morning window runs from 07:01 to 07:39, and the evening window from 18:59 to 19:37, all in local time. Pick another date above to plan a shoot down to the minute.
Why do sunrise and sunset change through the year in Christchurch?
Because Christchurch lies in the southern hemisphere, its days are longest around December and shortest around June. In Christchurch the longer solstice day runs about 15h 26m and the shorter one about 8h 56m, as shown in the table above. As Earth orbits the Sun, the point on the horizon where the Sun rises and sets moves, which lengthens or shortens the day and shifts sunrise and sunset times.
Are the times for Christchurch accurate?
Yes. Times are computed with the well established SunCalc astronomy library using the coordinates of Christchurch and shown in its local time zone. They are accurate to about a minute for a clear, flat horizon. Hills, tall buildings and atmospheric conditions can shift the moment you actually see the Sun by a few minutes.
Does this page show the moon phase for Christchurch?
Yes. The current moon phase, the percentage of the Moon that is lit, and the moonrise and moonset times for Christchurch are all shown for the selected date, so you can plan around a full moon or a dark new moon sky.
How much daylight does Christchurch gain or lose each day?
Christchurch has 12h 33m of daylight on Friday, 2 October 2026 and is gaining daylight: 20 minutes 46 seconds over the following seven days, with tomorrow 2 minutes 58 seconds longer than today. The daily change is at its largest near the March and September equinoxes and almost stops at the June and December solstices.
When is the earliest sunset in Christchurch?
The earliest sunset of 2026 in Christchurch is on 27 September at 18:30, 85 days before the December solstice. The earliest sunset and the shortest day are not the same date, because the sun runs a few minutes fast or slow against clock time through the year, an effect called the equation of time.
How long does it stay light after sunset in Christchurch?
About 29 minutes on Friday, 2 October 2026. The sun sets at 19:37 and usable daylight ends at civil dusk, 20:06, with full astronomical darkness at 21:15. The higher the latitude, the longer that fade takes.
Data and methodology: every time on this page is computed from Christchurch's coordinates with SunCalc, an open source astronomy library, not estimated or looked up from a table. Coordinates -43.53, 172.64, time zone Pacific/Auckland. Accurate to about a minute for a flat, unobstructed horizon; terrain, tall buildings and atmospheric conditions can shift the moment the sun is actually visible by a few minutes. Full method on methodology.
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Sun and moon times for places close to Christchurch. Sunrise and sunset shift as you move east, west, north or south.
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