Storm-tide red alerts are the highest high tide (also known as king tides) dates that Emergency Managers and Coastal Hazard Managers should write in their diaries and keep an eye on adverse weather (low barometric pressure, onshore winds), river levels and sea conditions (waves and swell).
The red-alert and lowest-high-tide dates shown here represent NZ-averaged clusters of extreme tides, rather than every individual perigee or apogee event. Some regions may experience their highest or lowest tides on slightly different days depending on local tidal dynamics. See tide forecasts for specific locations.
The following table shows the 2026 dates of the highest high-tide "red alert" dates, and the lowest high-tide dates (formerly known as "carefree"). It also includes dates when the moon's orbit brings it closest to [perigee] and furthest from [apogee] the earth.
2026: Range of dates collated across New Zealand
| Red-alert dates (highest high tides) | Lowest high tides (formerly ‘carefree’) |
| [actual lunar perigee date] | [actual lunar apogee date] |
| 2-7 January [2 January] | |
| 1-4 February [1 February] | |
| 11-13 February [11 February] | |
| 19-21 February [24 February] | |
| 11-14 March [11 March] | |
| 20-22 March [22 March] | |
| 10-11 April [7 April] | |
| 18-21 April [19 April] | |
| 17-21 May [18 May] | |
| 14-19 June [15 June] | |
| 13-18 July [13 July] | |
| 12-15 August [11 August] | |
| 23 August [22 August] | |
| 11 September [7 September] | |
| 19-22 September [19 September] | |
| 18-21 October [17 October] | |
| 27-30 October [29 October] | |
| 18 November [14 November] | |
| 25-30 November [26 November] | |
| 24-29 December [24 December] |
Visual representation of this calendar:
2026 calendar of red alert high tide dates.
There is a printable version of the 2026 calendar available for download [PDF 250KB].
Regional red alert days
Red alert tide days are available for different regions throughout New Zealand.
Further information
High perigean-spring tides, colloquially known as "king tides", peak 1–2 days after New or Full Moon when Moon is in its perigee (i.e., when it is closest to the Earth during its 27½ day elliptical circuit around the Earth), but dates of highest tides vary around New Zealand.
Not every perigee or apogee result in an extreme high or low tide. The largest tides occur only when perigee coincides with a New or Full Moon, when the gravitational effects of the Sun and Moon align to produce spring tides. Many perigees occur near First or Last Quarter, when the Sun and Moon are not aligned, so these do not generate extreme high tides. Similarly, only some apogees coincide with First or Third Quarter to produce the lowest high tides
In 2026 the Moon's closest perigee occurs on 24th December and coincides with a Full Moon, with next closest on 15th June (New Moon).
For the year 2026, "red-alert" dates cluster around very high tides (perigean-spring tides) that peak 1–2 days after New or Full Moon when Moon is in its perigee and lowest high-tide (formerly “carefree”) dates cluster around lower high tides after First or Third Quarter when Moon is close to its apogee.
Times for perigee, apogee and New and Full Moon in UTC (add 12 hours for NZST).
