If you follow me on Instagram, then you know I have this thing with the sun. I love the way its rays play against everything from the clouds, to the scenery to my phone’s camera lenses. I also just really like sunny days, and from time to time will take pictures of the sun with my camera, just so I can see what it really looks like in the sky without harming my eyes.
That being said, the sun in New Zealand is unlike the sun anywhere else in the world. Yes, its the same sun you have where you are, but there’s a bit of a hole in the ozone here, so it looks a lot different in the sky. While this unnatural phenomenon is bad for your skin (I burn quicker here than I ever did in South Florida,) it is great for experiencing stunning sunrises and sunsets.
While I have seen a few sunrises and sunsets during my time in New Zealand, there are two, in particular, that stand out to me.
Best Sunrise: Wainui Beach, Gisborne
While it’s technically incorrect to say this is the “first sunrise the world sees,” that doesn’t stop Gisborne from pushing this as a reason to go there. (It’s not even the first place in New Zealand to see it.) However, you can say pretty accurately Gisborne is the first “major” population center to see the sunrise, so that makes it cool.
But what Gisborne lacks in facts, it makes up for in beauty. The sunrise here is quite stunning, even in the cold. The sun clears the horizon with epic orange rays that dance against the clouds, beaches, and mountains in a way only the New Zealand sun can do. And because it is so far East, and not so densely populated there is nothing to impede your view.
Best Sunset: Piha Beach, Piha
Before I came to New Zealand, the best sunset I had ever seen was in Key West, Florida, USA. There is something about the size of the sun setting this close to the equator that is decidedly out-of-this-world. The boats sailing in the area add a stunning backdrop just about every evening.
So you can imagine how beautiful the sunset at Piha must be for me to say it may now, in-fact, be my favorite. But, somehow, it did that, despite the chill in the ai
The reason I loved the sunset at Piha is the brightness of the sun. It is not especially large like the sun in Key West, but it’s so bright it makes you look like a standing shadow on the beach.
The other thing about the sunset at Piha is the way the rays play against the rocky coastline, which admittingly, is not something you get to see everywhere.
