Hawke's Bay weather: Red moon at night, but no such delight this week

The money shot - just a sliver of moon remains uncovered as a result of the partial eclipse. Photo / Paul Taylor

Hawke's Bay can expect little more than a meteorological blip as temperatures drop for a few days after some of the hottest nights of the year and a perfect night for one of the rarest galactic events.

Star of the show was Friday night's full-red moon and near-total lunar eclipse, the longest partial lunar eclipse fully visible from New Zealand in more than 800 years.

It was perfection for Hawke's Bay Today photographer Paul Taylor who, conceding he wasn't around for the last, has photographed "a few" similar events over the years, and rated the latest as "the best".

The moon as the eclipse began. Photo / Paul Taylor

The eclipse starts to take over. Photo / Paul Taylor

He was one of several who lined-up on the reserve and beach at Te Awanga, in his case being "in position" by 7.30pm to start a five-hour sit-in, taking in the start of the eclipse, and all 97 per cent of it through to the return of a full moon after midnight.

The weather helped, and over the weekend it continued, with Hastings the chart-topping temperature nationwide close to 6pm on Sunday, at 25.9C.

Some rain and a drop in temperatures was being forecast in Hawke's Bay for Monday, but temperatures were predicted to start rising again to the mid-20s by next weekend.