13 incredible Instagrams of the Southern Lights

You probably know all about the amazing phenomenon of the Northern Lights – but have you heard of their cousin Down Under?

(I hadn’t either, until a fellow traveller in Iceland asked me if we ever saw the Southern Lights in New Zealand and I had to pretend I knew what he was talking about.)

But oh boy have I been schooled. The Southern Lights, or aurora australis are spectacular, as these photos show.

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A photo posted by Jess Ritchie (@mrsjritch) on Jun 8, 2015 at 2:14am PDT

A photo posted by Simon Ennals (@simonennals) on May 14, 2015 at 11:59pm PDT

A photo posted by Maki Yanagimachi (@makiyanagimachi) on May 12, 2015 at 6:35am PDT

A photo posted by Phobiam (@phobiam) on May 13, 2015 at 3:30pm PDT

A photo posted by Visual Innovations (@visual.innovations) on May 12, 2015 at 7:05pm PDT

A photo posted by @the_viewfinda on May 12, 2015 at 5:49am PDT

A photo posted by Lisa Michele Burns (@the_wanderinglens) on Apr 16, 2015 at 3:56am PDT

A photo posted by Marta Kulesza (@inafarawaylandcom) on Apr 11, 2015 at 7:36pm PDT

A photo posted by Daniel Ernst (@daniel_ernst) on Apr 11, 2015 at 11:20pm PDT

A photo posted by Vincent Frascello (@vincestagrammed) on Apr 14, 2015 at 4:48pm PDT

A photo posted by Amanda (@livinginanotherlanguage) on Apr 16, 2015 at 3:16am PDT

A photo posted by Shaun Jeffers (@shaun_jeffers) on Apr 11, 2015 at 5:24am PDT

  A video posted by Matt Glastonbury (@mattglastonbury) on Apr 12, 2015 at 10:21pm PDT

So far it’s been a good year for aurora sightings – one of the best in recent times! To increase your chances of spotting them, come between April and September (one good reason to visit New Zealand in winter). There are aurora forecasts you can check, too. Cold, dark nights are ideal – get as far away from light pollution as you can in order to better the odds.

The Southern Lights are seen mainly toward the bottom of the country, in the lower half of the South Island. Try Lake Tekapo (part of an International Dark Sky Reserve complete with observatory – just made for stargazing), Dunedin, Queenstown, Wanaka, Southland and even Stewart Island.

(Feature image: Ben)