Warm air causing record temperatures was not the only thing blown over from Australia this week, with Kiwis also getting remnants from bush fires across the Tasman.
Australia, which is also being scorched by a heat wave, is dealing with severe bushfires in southern Tasmania which have destroyed homes and led to health alerts.
- Smoke from Port Hills fire seen from satellite
- 'Great Cool Down' to smash heat wave, temperatures to dramatically plummet on Friday
- New Zealand heatwave: Warnings about 'summer ice' as relief arrives
MetService told Newshub that smoke particles from those bushfires were responsible for a strange haze obscuring long-distance views in Auckland on Thursday, having been blown to New Zealand by strong westerly winds.
Murray Stewart told Newshub on Thursday that looking from West Auckland there was an "incredible amount of haze to the extent I can't see the CBD, which is normally quite clear".
On January 26, Met Service tweeted satellite imagery showing smoke from the bushfires clearly distinguishable from white clouds hovering over the South Island.
MetService say smoke particles causing a haze is relatively common when strong westerlies and bushfires occur at the same time.
They also say over the last week they have received many images of spectacular sunsets which have been caused by particles in the atmosphere.
When the sun is low in the sky, blue wavelengths are scattered by the smoke particles, leaving red, pink, and orange colours more vivid.
Newshub.
