The skies above east Auckland have been illuminated in a stunning display of red and purple light due to the rare ‘aurora australis’.
The phenomenon is caused by a spot on the sun ejecting material into Earth’s atmosphere and can be seen around the country, depending on the extent of cloud cover.
Local residents in various locations took to social media to share images they captured on their phones of the dazzling colours in the skies above.
Some of the best photos were taken in the Pohutukawa Coast as well as in Cockle Bay, Whitford, and Bucklands Beach, among other suburbs.