It was a late night for stargazers across New Zealand as Kiwis waited up to catch the rare blood supermoon.
The spectacle could be seen anywhere the sky was dark, but one group of astrophotographers had the country's premier dark sky reserve to themselves.
The astrophotographers were treated to a clear night at the University of Canterbury Mt John Observatory.
They had the privilege of having the sole run of the mountain as a supermoon coincided with a total lunar eclipse - creating a rare blood supermoon.
"In the midst of the eclipse, you could see the star clouds of Scorpius completely surrounding the moon, which was really beautiful," Otago Museum director Ian Griffin told Newshub.
The Mackenzie-Aoraki region boasts the world's largest dark sky reserve and a Lunar Eclipse Party was held down the hill in Lake Tekapo village.
The public got the rare chance to use the famous Brashear Telescope to view the celestial show.
Cruize Erueti from the Dark Sky Project said it was obviously "a really great opportunity for them to use it".
Across the country, amateur stargazers pulled out their phones, and cameras to snap their own memories.
The late-night timing of the phenomenon made New Zealand the perfect place to see the show.
Kiwis were joined by crowds around the world from the West Coast of America, across to Australia and Asia.
The total lunar eclipse started just after 11pm and experts noted one part of the moon remained brighter than the other.
"For this eclipse, it didn't pass through the middle of the earth's shadow. It was just at the outer limit," Griffin said.
Getting out of the city was an exciting opportunity for some astrophotographers, including amateur Stephen Voss.
"When the moon is fully eclipsed, you've got no light pollution.. you can see the Milky Way come out, all the stars. You get that contrast way more," he said.
The rare late-night show provided some lasting memories.
