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

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" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="169816" data-entity-type="organization">Dunedin Leisure Lodge, which by Thursday was fully booked for its “solar eclipse package” that includes complimentary eclipse glasses.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 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 ImagesGriffin, 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 said. “We’ve got the cultural holiday celebrating the night sky, and then will be following it about 10 days later with a fantastic eclipse.”The Dunedin mayor, Sophie Barker, said anticipation for the eclipse was being felt across the city. “This remarkable event is now firmly on the horizon.”