Film production in Wellington
Between December and June, usable daylight in Wellington moves by 5h 55min — from 15h 08min down to 9h 13min. An exterior day in December is a different day from one in June. This page carries sunrise, sunset and golden-hour times for all twelve months, the climate profile.
Light and shooting hours
On 15 June, the sun in Wellington rises at 07:46 and sets at 16:58; the evening golden hour starts at 16:14 and runs for 44 minutes. By December that shifts to 05:43–20:50, with a 42-minute golden-hour window from 20:09.
For scheduling, that means the window for the one shot that lives on light runs between 36 and 44 minutes across the year. Put it last in the day and the first overrun takes it.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Daylight | Golden hour (evening, from) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 06:06 | 20:56 | 14h 50min | 20:15 |
| February | 06:45 | 20:27 | 13h 42min | 19:49 |
| March | 07:18 | 19:44 | 12h 26min | 19:07 |
| April | 06:51 | 17:52 | 11h 01min | 17:15 |
| May | 07:22 | 17:14 | 9h 51min | 16:33 |
| June | 07:46 | 16:58 | 9h 13min | 16:14 |
| July | 07:44 | 17:11 | 9h 27min | 16:28 |
| August | 07:13 | 17:40 | 10h 26min | 17:00 |
| September | 06:24 | 18:10 | 11h 46min | 17:34 |
| October | 06:34 | 19:41 | 13h 08min | 19:05 |
| November | 05:54 | 20:19 | 14h 25min | 19:39 |
| December | 05:43 | 20:50 | 15h 08min | 20:09 |
Blue hour and shooting windows
Blue hour in Wellington starts at 17:18 in June and ends at 17:30 — a window of 12 minutes. In December it is 13 minutes from 21:11. If you need a city view with lit windows, that window is all you get.
Sunset moves fastest around the equinoxes: between March (19:44) and September (18:10) there are 94 minutes of difference. A schedule running over several weeks cannot work from one fixed "sunset" time.
Weather and washout risk
Wellington averages 15 rain days in August and 6 in January. A three-day exterior shoot in August statistically loses 1.5 days — not a forecast, but the basis for deciding whether a cover set belongs in the budget.
| Month | Mean temperature | Rain days | Sunshine hours/day |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 17.5 °C | 6 | 12.2 |
| February | 17.3 °C | 8 | 10.9 |
| March | 16.2 °C | 10 | 9.6 |
| April | 14.6 °C | 9 | 8.6 |
| May | 13.1 °C | 11 | 7.2 |
| June | 11.4 °C | 12 | 6.3 |
| July | 10.5 °C | 13 | 6.7 |
| August | 10.5 °C | 15 | 7.7 |
| September | 11.2 °C | 12 | 8.8 |
| October | 12.5 °C | 11 | 10.1 |
| November | 14.1 °C | 12 | 10.9 |
| December | 15.9 °C | 12 | 11.5 |
Planning a shoot here
A schedule that ignores these numbers looks fine on paper and falls over on the day. TillyGen folds sun position, travel and crew availability straight into the schedule — if the exterior no longer fits before sunset in June, the plan says so, not the wrap report.
Frequently asked
When is golden hour in Wellington?
In June it starts at 16:14 and lasts 44 minutes; in December it starts at 20:09 and lasts 42 minutes. The table above lists all twelve months.
How much daylight does a shoot day in Wellington get?
Between 9h 13min in June and 15h 08min in December. The 5h 55min difference is worth four to eight setups depending on your pace.
Which month is best for exteriors in Wellington?
Combining daylight and rain days, January comes out ahead: plenty of usable light with comparatively few rain days. December has the longest days but not necessarily the steadiest weather.