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When does Santa come to New Zealand?
Santa reaches New Zealand at midnight in each time zone on Christmas Eve: first Chatham at 10:15 UTC on 24 December, and last Auckland at 11:00 UTC on 24 December.
Santa's diary:
Toys made so far:
Santa's arrival times in New Zealand
| Clock time | Places | Santa arrives |
|---|---|---|
| UTC+13:45 | Chatham | Midnight local time 10:15 UTC on 24 December |
| UTC+13 | Auckland | Midnight local time 11:00 UTC on 24 December |
Santa always arrives at the same moment: midnight, when Christmas Eve turns into Christmas Day. He keeps to the night side of the Earth, flying from east to west as each country's clocks reach twelve, so every child is asleep when he lands. When midnight strikes in most of New Zealand, he also visits Antarctica, Samoa, Tokelau and Tonga.
New Zealand is about 0.3 hours into his journey. By then the reindeer have already pulled the sleigh past thousands of towns, and Rudolph's nose is glowing at full brightness to light the way through the clouds.
Before Christmas Eve you can visit Santa's village any day of the year. See what he is doing right now, count down the sleeps, write him a letter, and on Christmas Eve watch his sleigh fly over your own town.
Questions
What time does Santa come to New Zealand?
At midnight local time on Christmas Eve, in every part of New Zealand. Because New Zealand has 2 different clock times, he reaches the east first and the west last.
Is Santa early or late in New Zealand?
Santa starts his journey in Kiribati, the first place to reach midnight. He reaches New Zealand about 0.3 hours later.
Can I watch Santa fly over New Zealand?
Yes. Open the live map on Christmas Eve: when it turns midnight where you are, his sleigh flies over your town for about 20 minutes, with a glowing trail from the North Pole.
What should we leave out for Santa?
Many families leave a mince pie or cookies and a glass of milk for Santa, and a carrot for the reindeer. Rudolph likes the crunchy ones.