Sun position in Tauranga

Where the sun stands over Tauranga, New Zealand (-37.6861°, 176.1667°) - today's sunrise, sunset, solar noon, day length and shadow length, plus the sun path across the whole year.

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Updated daily
Local time UTC+13
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Sun times in Tauranga on 4 November 2026

Local time in Tauranga, UTC+13 (daylight saving time). On 4 April 2027 the clocks go back one hour, so sunrise moves from 07:30 to 06:31.
Sunrise	06:06	rises toward ESE (110°)
Solar noon	12:59	sun 67.6° above the horizon
Sunset	19:53	sets toward WSW (250°)
Day length	13 h 47 min
Civil dawn	05:38	first usable light
Civil dusk	20:21	last usable light
Golden hour, morning	06:06–06:42	warm low light
Golden hour, evening	19:16–19:53	warm low light
Shadow at noon	0.41 m	per metre of height

Times are computed for -37.6861°, 176.1667° and refreshed every day. For any other date, an exact azimuth or a shadow drawn on the map, open the interactive sun position map for Tauranga.

The sun’s path over Tauranga

How high the sun stands and where, from sunrise to sunset: today, at both solstices and at the equinox. The higher a curve climbs, the higher the sun; where a curve meets the bottom line, the sun rises or sets at that compass bearing.

Today, 4 November
21 June
Equinox, March and September
21 December

The sun's altitude against its compass bearing over Tauranga. On 21 June the sun rises at 61° (ENE), climbs to 28.9° at solar noon and sets at 299° (WNW). On 21 December the sun rises at 121° (ESE), climbs to 75.7° at solar noon and sets at 239° (WSW).

The sun through the year in Tauranga

Sunrise, sunset, day length, noon altitude and noon shadow on the 15th of each month, on the local clock
Month	Sunrise	Sunset	Day length	Noon altitude	Noon shadow
January	06:10	20:39	14 h 29 min	73.5°	0.3 m
February	06:45	20:14	13 h 29 min	65.1°	0.5 m
March	07:13	19:35	12 h 22 min	54.5°	0.7 m
April	06:41	17:49	11 h 08 min	42.6°	1.1 m
May	07:08	17:15	10 h 07 min	33.5°	1.5 m
June	07:29	17:03	9 h 34 min	29.0°	1.8 m
July	07:28	17:15	9 h 47 min	30.8°	1.7 m
August	07:01	17:40	10 h 39 min	38.2°	1.3 m
September	06:16	18:06	11 h 49 min	49.2°	0.9 m
October	06:31	19:32	13 h 01 min	60.8°	0.6 m
November	05:56	20:04	14 h 09 min	70.7°	0.3 m
December	05:48	20:33	14 h 45 min	75.6°	0.3 m

At the December solstice the midday sun reaches 75.7° above the horizon in Tauranga and the day lasts 14 h 47 min. At the June solstice the sun climbs only to 28.9° and the day shrinks to 9 h 33 min. That difference is what decides whether a garden, a window or a solar array sees the sun in winter. The noon shadow column gives the length of the shadow of anything one metre tall.

Tauranga through 2026 at a glance

The extremes of 2026, on the local clock
Longest day	22 December	14 h 47 min, 05:50–20:37
Shortest day	21 June	9 h 33 min, 07:30–17:04
Earliest sunrise	8 December	05:47
Latest sunrise	4 April	07:31
Earliest sunset	13 June	17:03
Latest sunset	5 January	20:41
Highest midday sun	22 December	75.8°
Lowest midday sun	21 June	28.9°
Sunrise direction	through the year	61° ENE (22 June) to 121° ESE (22 December)
Sunset direction	through the year	239° WSW (22 December) to 299° WNW (21 June)

At solar noon the sun in Tauranga always stands due north, so the north side of a building, a garden or a roof is the one that gets the sun.
The longest day in Tauranga is 5 h 13 min longer than the shortest, and around the equinoxes the days grow or shrink by up to 2.5 minutes a day.

The winter solstice 2026: the moment, and the shortest and the longest day, city by city →

When the days start getting longer: the earliest sunset, the latest sunrise and lighter evenings, city by city →

Planning around the sun in Tauranga

Solar panels

At 37.7° S a fixed array facing due north collects the most over a year at a tilt of about 32°. Use the solar panel angle calculator with the coordinates -37.6861°, 176.1667° for the exact optimum, the seasonal optima and the loss from an east or west facing roof.

Buying a flat or a plot

At the June solstice the noon sun in Tauranga sits 28.9° above the horizon, so every obstacle casts a shadow 1.8 times its own height at midday. Check what stands to the north before you commit: place the building on the map and read the shaded hours for 21 June.

Photography

Golden hour runs 06:06–06:42 in the morning and 19:16–19:53 in the evening today, and the sun sets toward WSW (250°). The golden hour calculator gives the same windows for any date, and the map’s alignment finder shows the days when the setting sun lines up with a street.

More on planning around the sun: which way a house, garden or balcony should face, how long golden hour lasts and why the earliest sunset comes before the shortest day.

Other cities

Near Tauranga

On the same latitude

Tauranga lies at 37.7° S. On the same parallel the longest and the shortest day last just as long and the noon sun climbs just as high, whatever the clocks say there:

Sunrise and sunset in all 6 cities in New Zealand →

See all cities with sun position data →

Questions

Sun questions about Tauranga

What time is sunrise and sunset in Tauranga today?

On 4 November 2026 the sun rises at 06:06 and sets at 19:53 in Tauranga (UTC+13), giving 13 h 47 min of daylight.

What time is solar noon in Tauranga today?

Solar noon is at 12:59, when the sun stands due north, 67.6° above the horizon. It is the middle of the day by the sun and the moment shadows are shortest.

When is the longest day of the year in Tauranga?

On 22 December, with 14 h 47 min between sunrise at 05:50 and sunset at 20:37.

When is the shortest day of the year in Tauranga?

On 21 June, with 9 h 33 min between sunrise at 07:30 and sunset at 17:04.

How high does the sun get in Tauranga?

At solar noon the sun reaches 75.8° on 22 December, its highest of the year, and only 28.9° on 21 June. Today it climbs to 67.6°.

In which direction does the sun rise and set in Tauranga?

Due east and due west only around the equinoxes. Through the year sunrise swings between 61° (ENE) and 121° (ESE), and sunset between 239° (WSW) and 299° (WNW).

What is the best angle for solar panels in Tauranga?

Facing due north (azimuth 0°) at a tilt of about 32° for the most energy over a year. A steeper tilt favours the winter months and a flatter one the summer.

When is the earliest sunset in Tauranga?

On 13 June at 17:03, 8 days before the shortest day. The latest sunrise is on 29 June at 07:31, so the evenings start getting lighter before the mornings do.

When do the days start getting longer in Tauranga?

Straight after the shortest day, 21 June, but slowly at first: by 30 June the day is only 2 minutes longer, by 31 July 37 minutes longer and by 31 August 1 h 41 min longer. The evenings start getting lighter a little earlier, after the earliest sunset on 13 June.

What time does it get dark in Tauranga in December?

On 1 December the sun sets at 20:21 and the sky is dark by about 20:52, when civil twilight ends. On 31 December sunset is at 20:40 and darkness at about 21:11.