Depending on solar activities, the Southern Lights can sometimes be spotted in South Island of New Zealand. On a lucky day, you could even see it in Wellington.
Because of the city light pollution, you will need to travel to South Coast (about 15 mins drive from CBD) where the lights are blocked by mountain ranges surrounding Wellington. If you go there at night, it is basically pitch black, you will need a good torch or head lamp to navigate.
I was there in April 2017 (mid autumn) trying to capture Aurora Australis. My non-DSLR camera was struggled to capture the night sky but still managed to shoot some night sky photos.
Oh yeah, if you go to South Coast at night, remember to bring a friend, it is quite scary out there alone. 😱😆
A blurry glimpse of aurora.
To check Aurora Australia forecast, visit http://www.aurora-service.net/aurora-forecast/