[IanW99]

As no-one else has mentioned it :)

Today was officially the shortest day of the year in NZ, so the days will start to get longer from now :raebanana

Ian

[jubjub]

Howick village is even having a celebration of midwinter.... there were loads of balloons up today when i went through...

[Caroline and Dave]

I may be wrong but I thought tommorow was the shortest day 21st June, at least thats what the weather girl said.

Found this on humanist society nz

Winter Solstice

The winter solstice (http://humanist.org.nz/letters/humanistday.html) is the birth time of gods. The northern hemisphere has several gods born on 25th December including of course Jesus.
This reflects the importance of this time and the rebirth promised as the sun begins to return.
The southern hemisphere's mid winter in June is treated with similar respect in Māori culture, usually using the first new moon after the rising of Matariki (Pleiades) as the start of the new year and a time for planting. This gives a year beginning in mid-winter and based on lunar months. A system extraordinarily similar to the European system.
June 5 is the new moon marking Māori new year 2008.
The shortest day, which is actually a moment as the earth begins its journey back will be on 21 June in 2008 in New Zealand.

[M-Squared]

^^ I thought it was the 21st, too. :confused:

[IanW99]

^^ I thought it was the 21st, too. :confused:

Oops, you are right... the shortest day last year was Friday (not this year)... looks like I posted a couple of hours early :p

Ian

[Red Devil]

... it's not like you to be wrong Ian, I can normally rely on you for right answers/information :p ;) :D

[IanW99]

... it's not like you to be wrong Ian, I can normally rely on you for right answers/information...

I wouldn't say I was wrong, so much as timely... :exit

:D

Ian

[Leccy-Lee]

Yes i got invited to the Celtic Solstice ceremony at Stonehenge Aotearoa as i am a member of there Astronomy Society but alais i cant make it. Druids, capes and candles not a normal evening out anyhow! lol

[Moorf]

Druids, capes and candles not a normal evening out anyhow! lol

Says who? :uhoh;)

I love when the shortest day/longest night comes around as it means we're over the hump of the year and sliding down on the way to summer :raebanana

[Red Devil]

I wouldn't say I was wrong, so much as timely... :exit

:D

Ian

Nice one :nice1

[M-Squared]

Yes i got invited to the Celtic Solstice ceremony at Stonehenge Aotearoa as i am a member of their Astronomy Society but alas I cant make it. Druids, capes and candles not a normal evening out anyhow! lol

I want to go there. :) We were over the hill a couple of weeks ago, wish we'd gone there, d'oh! :exit

[Jo Jo]

Wooooooohooooooooo!

I love it when the days start getting longer again.

[Mels]

I want to go there. :) We were over the hill a couple of weeks ago, wish we'd gone there, d'oh! :exit

With the stress of trying to sell our house I feel as I've been over the hill for a long time :exit

Mels

[M-Squared]

With the stress of trying to sell our house I feel as I've been over the hill for a long time :exit

Mels

LOL and sorry :D Sorry, I guess it's pretty much slang here. When you live in the Welly area and you're going "over the hill", that means you cross the Rimutakas to the east to the Wairarapa. :)

A "fun" drive ... ;)

[Mels]

No problem M-Squared :D

We have done that drive when going to Welly from Napier. We timed it brilliantly. We had to follow a convoy of horse boxes all the way down!!!!

Mels

[Leccy-Lee]

I want to go there. :) We were over the hill a couple of weeks ago, wish we'd gone there, d'oh! :exit

Its an interesting site, i go there regularly for meetings and to gaze at the stars!

[adkck]

That is so funny because here is the USA, it is longest day of the year. :) The days will start get shorter now. LOL

[JandM]

You and the rest of the northern hemisphere.:)

[PeteS]

That is so funny because here is the USA, it is longest day of the year. :) The days will start get shorter now. LOL

What we "obviously" need then is a European Union "Harmonisation Document" that will bring the northern and southern hemispheres into the correct alignment regarding the seasons and months. This would mean that the longest days would occur during June, and Christmas would become the feast of mid winter, occuring in December.

And please, no one suggest this to the EU, they take this kind of stuff seriously!

[Derv]

That is so funny because here is the USA, it is longest day of the year. :) The days will start get shorter now. LOL

That would be because you're up north along with the rest of that hemisphere. See Copernicus, Newton and Kepler for more details:)

I would love to have gone to Stonehenge for solstice celebrations, so I'm jealous of you, Leccy-Lee (I speak as a person who is proud to be a pagan:yes). I think that's one of the things I wish I'd done before we left the UK.

It's nice to think that the days will get longer now but it's a bit depressing to hear Karen say on the weather forecast last night that the coldest part of winter is yet to come!

Is anyone else getting fed up with Kiwis saying to them "you're British, you must be used to the cold"?

[Tanya]

Says who? :uhoh;)

I love when the shortest day/longest night comes around as it means we're over the hump of the year and sliding down on the way to summer :raebanana


But it gets colder first!!

Our coldest weather will start now, this is to some the real beginning of winter. But for those who aren't fans of winter I guess the positive side is that within a few weeks the days will be noticeably longer".

YUK

Tanya

[JandM]

I would love to have gone to Stonehenge for solstice celebrations, so I'm jealous of you, Leccy-Lee (I speak as a person who is proud to be a pagan). I think that's one of the things I wish I'd done before we left the UK.We live not far away from Stonehenge. It's all set up for extra car parks for the masses of visitors they're expecting, with the 21st being a Saturday this year. Unfortunately, the weather is all ready to make it a washout - cold, and heavy rain expected through the night, so it's unlikely all the people up there will see anything of the sunrise at all.

[IanW99]

...
I would love to have gone to Stonehenge for solstice celebrations, so I'm jealous of you, Leccy-Lee (I speak as a person who is proud to be a pagan:yes). I think that's one of the things I wish I'd done before we left the UK.
...
Is anyone else getting fed up with Kiwis saying to them "you're British, you must be used to the cold"?

Well, Lee was invited to the New Zealand version of Stonehenge (a replica of the original) so I'm sure that you could also do that next time.

For the "cold" comment, I tend to do that the other way around...
When someone mentions how cold it is, I tell them that this isn't cold... :p

Ian

[victoria]

Yes & it's my birthday. I always used to bore everyone with saying mine is the longest birthday but now I have to accept it's the shortest! Have to figure out a way to stop it coming around so fast now!

[Nettie 2]

Ian, Yes I agree, I haven't really felt cold since I've lived here (14mths) and I was terrible in England always moaning about it. At least here if it's a frosty clear morning we know we are in for a lovely warm day (in the sun) unlike English frosty days when there is no heat in the sun. I have even managed to stay warm indoors! :laugh Roll on summer.

[jubjub]

I get teased for wearing t shirts in winter... and I agree about the sun, when it is out there is always some heat in it, which is nice... :)

[richard]

According to the Christchurch Press sun rise was 8.02am today and will be 8.03am tomorrow.

Sun set is the same for both days so according to them tomorrow will have less daylight than today.

[Nathan]

I'm glad we didn't do a Solstice party this year. The stove went belly up last night. Now the whole house reeks of burned wiring. Can you imagine a house full of guests showing up with that mess?
... and the 'oven guy' won't be here 'til Monday. And then we have to wait for the owners to decide what to do. Grrrrr..... Fortunately, the camp stove is a good one!

[M-Squared]

Sounds like it's nicer in NI, NZ than it is in England for Midsummer! ( :D )

Its an interesting site, i go there regularly for meetings and to gaze at the stars!

Hey we're up on a hill and have a nice big Celestron telescope - let me know if you (as in "you, Lee", not necessarily "you, Lee, and all your friends from Stonehence Aotearoa" :) ) want to come over at a new moon to stargaze. :)

[chocolate cake]

Is anyone else getting fed up with Kiwis saying to them "you're British, you must be used to the cold"?

Agree, the difference back at home was central heating. Getting home to a warm house and waking up in one, here my rental's got all the insulation of cricket pavillion.