Trip Notes podcast: Where to see the northern lights in Alaska

The northern lights in Alaska. Photo / Paxson Woelber, Unsplash

While we continue to work from home, we're taking a different approach to our Trip Notes podcast to keep your travel dreams alive, by bringing back some of our best travel stories published over the years.

Everyone dreams of seeing the northern lights one day, right?

In this latest episode of Trip Notes, we head to Alaska. You're going to hear a reading of a travel article written by journalist Anna Harrison about her efforts to find the sometimes elusive, and definitely mysterious phenomenon that is the aurora borealis.

In her article, Harrison travels to a remote spot in Alaska called Eklutna.

"They say if you want to spot the aurora borealis in Alaska, you should go another 400km north to Fairbanks where the skies are often clear, and stay at least three nights — and even then there are no guarantees," she writes.

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During her expedition, Harrison learnt that in ancient times, the Northern Lights were thought to be spirits dancing or a group of walruses kicking around a ball.

She also learnt about the science behind the aurora and a few photography tricks.

Despite initially feeling underwhelmed by her first impressons of the aurora, Harrison was later treated with a far more spectacular visual symphony.

"It is truly spectacular. And I am moved thinking that this magnificence has been lighting up the northern skies for millennia — long before we were around to appreciate it. I feel rather small in the context of time and space and have to blink back tears."

The article was published in the Herald in April 2017.

Go to nzherald.co.nz/tripnotes to catch up on any episodes you might have missed.

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