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Story: Southland region

Sundial, Invercargill

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Sundial, Invercargill

The upright of this steel umbrella on Don Street, in downtown Invercargill, acts as a sundial. It was sculpted by local artist Russell J. Beck and installed on the summer solstice in December 2000. The umbrella was in part a tribute to James Stewart, a Southlander who built over 200 sundials throughout New Zealand and was dubbed the 'sundial king'. The umbrella's canopy shows the stars in their midwinter position.

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by Janine Faulknor

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David Grant, Southland region – Climate, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/20095/sundial-invercargill (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by David Grant, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 May 2015.