How dark is the sky at Stewart Island / Rakiura?

Modelled zenith brightness from the 2024 World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness puts Stewart Island / Rakiura at about 21.98 mag/arcsec², roughly Bortle class 2. That is an approximation derived from satellite data, not a field measurement; it is certified by DarkSky International as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary.

How far is Stewart Island / Rakiura from Queenstown?

About 227.8 km in a straight line, heading south from Queenstown. Using a 1.3 road-detour factor and staged average speeds that is roughly 296.1 km and 3.6 h of driving — an estimate, not a routed drive time.

When is the next moon-free dark window at Stewart Island / Rakiura?

The next stretch of essentially moon-free dark hours runs Nov 1–14 (14 nights), computed from Moon phase and altitude with Skyfield and JPL DE440s. Cloud cannot be known that far ahead; the live seven-night forecast on this page shows real cloud cover once a window is close.

What is the clearest month at Stewart Island / Rakiura?

Over 2021–2025, November (15%), February (14%), January (13%) had the highest share of nights with astronomical darkness that stayed clear (weighted cloud cover ≤ 20%); across the year it was 10%. ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo — historical frequency, not a forecast.

New Zealand · International Dark Sky Sanctuary

Stargazing at Stewart Island / Rakiura

How dark this certified sky really is, how far it is from the nearest cities, a live seven-night forecast for the site itself, and the moon-free nights worth planning around. Official DarkSky International page ↗

Sky at the siteBortle ≈ 221.98 mag/arcsec² · 2024 atlas

From Queenstown~3.6 h227.8 km straight-line · head south · estimated

Next moon-free windowNov 1–1414 nights · moon geometry only

How dark the sky really is at Stewart Island / Rakiura

Modelled zenith brightness at the site's coordinates is 21.98 mag/arcsec², which maps to roughly Bortle 2 (what each level means). This is an approximation from the 2024 light-pollution atlas, not a field measurement — and it describes the single point DarkSky lists, not the darkest corner of the sanctuary.

This is about as dark as the atlas gets: at Bortle 2 the Milky Way casts visible shadows on moonless nights, the zodiacal light is obvious and the faintest deep-sky objects are within reach of modest optics. Your own light — and the Moon — will be the limiting factor, not the site.

Getting to Stewart Island / Rakiura

The nearest cities we publish guides for, with the direction to head and a rough drive estimate.

From Queenstown
head south · 227.8 km straight-line · ≈296.1 km by road · ≈3.6 h · weekend trip
From Tekapo
head south-west · 391.7 km straight-line · ≈509.2 km by road · ≈5.8 h · weekend trip
From Christchurch
head south-west · 538.3 km straight-line · ≈699.8 km by road · ≈7.8 h · weekend trip

Estimated from straight-line distance x a 1.3 road-detour factor and staged average speeds (40 km/h leaving town, 70 km/h regional, 95 km/h highway). It is a rough guide, not a routed drive time.

The next seven nights at Stewart Island / Rakiura

Loading the live forecast…

Plan the next 90 days at Stewart Island / Rakiura

Moon-free dark windows are astronomy — computable years ahead. Cloud is not: beyond the 16-night forecast nobody knows the weather, and we won't pretend to. What five years of reanalysis can say is how often each month's nights actually stayed clear here.

Nov 1–1414 moon-free nights15% of November nights here stayed clear (2021–2025)
Dec 1–1515 moon-free nights10% of December nights here stayed clear (2021–2025)
Jan 2–1615 moon-free nights13% of January nights here stayed clear (2021–2025)

Clear nights by month, 2021–2025

Jan13%
Feb14%
Mar10%
Apr9%
May8%
Jun6%
Jul7%
Aug8%
Sep6%
Oct9%
Nov15%
Dec10%

Clearest months historically: November (15%), February (14%), January (13%); across the year 10% of nights with astronomical darkness stayed clear.

"Clear" = weighted cloud cover (low 0.5 / mid 0.3 / high 0.2) ≤ 20% across the night's astronomical darkness. ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo Archive, 2021–2025 (CC BY 4.0) — historical frequency, not a forecast. Once a window comes within 16 nights, the live forecast above takes over.

Put Stewart Island / Rakiura's dark-sky nights on your calendar

Every month has a stretch of nights when the Moon leaves the dark hours at Stewart Island / Rakiura essentially moon-free. Subscribe once and each window lands in your own calendar, about a year ahead — no account, no email.

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moon & darkness geometry only — cloud can't be known this far out; check the live forecast above when a window gets close

Questions people ask about Stewart Island / Rakiura

How dark is the sky at Stewart Island / Rakiura?: Modelled zenith brightness from the 2024 World Atlas of Artificial Night Sky Brightness puts Stewart Island / Rakiura at about 21.98 mag/arcsec², roughly Bortle class 2. That is an approximation derived from satellite data, not a field measurement; it is certified by DarkSky International as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary.
How far is Stewart Island / Rakiura from Queenstown?: About 227.8 km in a straight line, heading south from Queenstown. Using a 1.3 road-detour factor and staged average speeds that is roughly 296.1 km and 3.6 h of driving — an estimate, not a routed drive time.
When is the next moon-free dark window at Stewart Island / Rakiura?: The next stretch of essentially moon-free dark hours runs Nov 1–14 (14 nights), computed from Moon phase and altitude with Skyfield and JPL DE440s. Cloud cannot be known that far ahead; the live seven-night forecast on this page shows real cloud cover once a window is close.
What is the clearest month at Stewart Island / Rakiura?: Over 2021–2025, November (15%), February (14%), January (13%) had the highest share of nights with astronomical darkness that stayed clear (weighted cloud cover ≤ 20%); across the year it was 10%. ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo — historical frequency, not a forecast.

Place name and coordinates: DarkSky International (reviewed 2026-07-15, data 2026-10-13). Light pollution: David Lorenz, World Atlas 2024 (EOG VIIRS, CC BY 4.0), approximate. Cloud: Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Moon and darkness geometry: Skyfield + JPL DE440s, computed locally. Drive times are estimates, not routes.