Days start to lengthen

Tomorrow is the shortest day for 2021, with the moment of winter – or June – solstice at 3.32pm. Although that’s a turning point, the grind-out of winter will still be long and slow – Tuesday will be just one second longer. According to timeanddate.com, the shortest day will last 9 hours 47 minutes and 18 seconds in Kaitaia, and 8 hours 35 minutes and 5 seconds in Invercargill. The coldest days of winter in New Zealand tend to come some time after the June solstice. That’s because it takes a while for the Earth to warm up again as the days lengthen.