Southern Lights by Flight

South Island
Southern Lights

Tour Description

The greatest travel experience you can have! This 10-hour flight departing from Christchurch, New Zealand, will see you witnessing the most spectacular light show on Earth™, the Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights.

You will experience an unforgettable round-trip including:

• Two full-service Air New Zealand meals per person, plus in-flight snacks.
• Celebrate your adventure with bubbly, wine, beer, spirits, and soft drinks onboard.
• Learn about the Aurora, how it is formed and how best to capture it on your cameras with an expert team of astronomers & photographers onboard.
• Mission to Aurora Australis Pre-Flight Programme hosted at the International Antarctic Centre.

For full trip details please see our Southern Lights by Flight E-Brochure.

We look forward to seeing you onboard!

*Please note: images used were taken on previous flights, and will appear brighter/with more colour than viewing with the naked eye.

Please note: we do not currently have any scheduled flights, we are expecting to resume operations in 2026, please let us know if you would like to pre-register your interest!

Video Highlights

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A rare opportunity to fly towards Antarctica to around 62 degrees south, accompanied by a team of expert astronomers and photographer. Great for those that would like to try to photograph the aurora.

“I’m really excited about this charter flight. Flying into the southern auroral zone is a wonderful experience, you never know quite what you are going to see." - Dr Ian Griffin, astronomer. (Dr Griffin and/or other astronomers join us onboard)

The timing of this aurora flight is no coincidence! It coincides perfectly with the Autumn equinox which helps to maximise the chance the aurora will be bright thanks to a phenomenon called the Russell-McPherron effect.

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Day 1

Christchurch

You may have finished on our pre flight group tour or arriving on your own but please ensure you are in Christchurch at least 3 hours before. Once checked in you will board your flight and take off around 7:30pm (tentative departure time, subject to change) in search of the Southern Lights.

Aboard our privately chartered state-of-the-art 787 Dreamliner, you will experience unparalleled viewing of the magical Aurora Australis. Enjoy Full Air New Zealand service – including premium drinks, delicious meals, and access to full inflight entertainment when outside the Aurora zone.

The duration of the flight is approximately 10 hours, and the Aurora can typically be seen after about two and a half hours flying – it’s an experience like no other. Viewing of the Aurora is an exciting experience, but it is important to note that there is a difference between viewing the Aurora with the naked eye versus what the camera captures. Striking images and videos of the Aurora that you may have seen are captured thanks to the extreme sensitivity of modern digital cameras. To help guests we will have a professional
photographer onboard who can assist you in getting the best possible results.

If you are an avid photographer or astronomer, we highly recommend you choose a premium seat or book a full row in economy to guarantee window access throughout the duration of the flight.

Guests should be aware that once in the Aurora zone the cabin lights will be turned off to enable best viewing.

How long will we see the Aurora for?
As you will appreciate, the Aurora is a natural phenomenon, so this can never
be guaranteed. However, on previous two charter flights, passengers enjoyed
between 4 and 6 hours of viewing.

The flight will be a round trip lasting a total of 10 hours, spending as much time as possible flying with the Aurora Australis. You will return to Christchurch the next day, after experiencing one of the most unique natural lightshows in the world.

Please see download dossier above, or contact Viva for more info

Food

Two full-service Air New Zealand meals plus in-flight snacks.
Full bar service onboard

Fees & Services

Charter flight aiming for latitudes of 62 degrees south
Expert team of Astronomers & Photographer onboard.
Celebrate your adventure with wine, beer, spirits
Pre flight mission at the International Antarctica Centre
Seat options from Economy to Business Premium plus, ask us for details
Pre tour package add on to Tekapo and Mt John, more details coming soon!

Transportation

Air New Zealand Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Private charter flight
Witness and photograph the Southern Lights from the air!

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Duration

1 days

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Economy limited view incl GST

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