Total solar eclipse books out hotels two years in advance in New Zealand city

In 2028, Dunedin will see its first total solar eclipse since 1163, and New Zealand’s first since 19065. Photograph: Héctor Vivas/Getty Images View image in fullscreen In 2028, Dunedin will see its first total solar eclipse since 1163, and New Zealand’s first since 19065. Photograph: Héctor Vivas/Getty Images Total solar eclipse books out hotels two years in advance in New Zealand city Dunedin will be the focal point, having last experienced such an eclipse in 1163 – before any humans reached New Zealand Hotels are booking out two years in advance in the New Zealand city of Dunedin as it prepares for the region’s first total solar eclipse in more than 850 years. At 4.17pm on 22 July 2028, the moon will pass in front of the sun, casting a roughly 100km-wide shadowy band across parts of southern New Zealand. Everywhere within that band – from tourist hotspot Queenstown in the west to Dunedin city in the east – will be plunged into daytime darkness for 2 minutes and 51 seconds. Despite there being two years still to go, hotels are already fielding booking inquiries, including the Dunedin Leisure Lodge, which by Thursday was fully booked for its “solar eclipse package” that includes complimentary eclipse glasses. A moment that changed me: I saw my first total solar eclipse – and its beauty shook me to my core Read more Dr Ian Griffin, an astronomer and director of Tūhura Otago Museum, said: “The last one visible from Dunedin was in 1163, which was before humans reached New Zealand. “So we will be the first people in Dunedin ever to see a solar eclipse from this part of the world, which is quite exciting.” It will also be the first total solar eclipse visible anywhere in New Zealand since 1965. “That three minutes of darkness, if it’s clear, will be absolutely memorable for anybody who sees it,” Griffin said. On Wednesday, Dunedin’s museum started the clock for the two-year countdown, in what is tipped to be a major tourism event for the city. Roughly 35,000 visitors are expected to descend on the city, which has a population of 130,000. View image in fullscreen View at dawn along St Clair Beach, Dunedin. A total eclipse will be seen for the first time by humans across a band of southern New Zealand. Photograph: David C Tomlinson/Getty Images Griffin, meanwhile, has been preparing for the eclipse since 2013. “I did buy my house all those years ago based on the fact that you could see the eclipse from it,” he said. The eclipse will happen in the middle of New Zealand’s winter, just after the country celebrates Matariki – the Māori new year. Matariki is the Māori name for a cluster of stars known elsewhere as the Pleiades. The constellation is visible from New Zealand for 11 months of the year, but disappears from the skies for a month in winter, reappearing around the time of the winter solstice. Dunedin is planning a night-sky festival beginning with Matariki and going through to the eclipse. “It’s actually unique anywhere around the world,” Griffin s