NZST to PST
Auckland is 21 hours ahead of Los Angeles in January, 19 hours ahead in July and 20 hours ahead during the transition weeks. 9:00 AM in Auckland is noon the previous day in California in January and 2:00 PM the previous day in July.
Think of it as a few hours behind, a day ahead
Twenty-one hours ahead is the same as three hours behind on the previous day. So to turn Auckland time into Pacific time in January, add 3 hours and step back a day; in July add 5 hours and step back a day; during the transition weeks, from late September to early November and from mid-March to early April, add 4. The variation comes from New Zealand's daylight time (last Sunday of September to first Sunday of April) running opposite to California's (second Sunday of March to first Sunday of November).
For meetings, the California early afternoon works: 1:00 to 4:00 PM Pacific is 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM the next day in Auckland in January, and in July the same Auckland morning falls at 3:00 to 6:00 PM Pacific.
Flights, film and rockets
Flights between Los Angeles and Auckland take about 12 to 13 hours, and eastbound they seem to travel back in time: leave Auckland at 7:30 PM in January and you land in Los Angeles around 10:30 AM on the same date, before your departure time by the clock.
Hollywood has deep ties to Wellington, where Wētā FX has worked on films from The Lord of the Rings to the Avatar sequels, so studio reviews regularly cross this gap. Rocket Lab, headquartered in Long Beach, launches most of its Electron rockets from the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand, and its launch windows are announced in both NZT and Pacific time. For the East Coast, see Auckland to New York.
Cities on these zones
New Zealand Time NZST
Pacific Time PST
NZST → PST quick reference
Every hour of the day, using today's offsets (daylight saving is applied automatically).
| NZST | PST |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 4:00 AM−1 |
| 1:00 AM | 5:00 AM−1 |
| 2:00 AM | 6:00 AM−1 |
| 3:00 AM | 7:00 AM−1 |
| 4:00 AM | 8:00 AM−1 |
| 5:00 AM | 9:00 AM−1 |
| 6:00 AM | 10:00 AM−1 |
| 7:00 AM | 11:00 AM−1 |
| 8:00 AM | 12:00 PM−1 |
| 9:00 AM | 1:00 PM−1 |
| 10:00 AM | 2:00 PM−1 |
| 11:00 AM | 3:00 PM−1 |
| NZST | PST |
|---|---|
| 12:00 PM | 4:00 PM−1 |
| 1:00 PM | 5:00 PM−1 |
| 2:00 PM | 6:00 PM−1 |
| 3:00 PM | 7:00 PM−1 |
| 4:00 PM | 8:00 PM−1 |
| 5:00 PM | 9:00 PM−1 |
| 6:00 PM | 10:00 PM−1 |
| 7:00 PM | 11:00 PM−1 |
| 8:00 PM | 12:00 AM |
| 9:00 PM | 1:00 AM |
| 10:00 PM | 2:00 AM |
| 11:00 PM | 3:00 AM |
- Difference right now
- PST 20 hours behind NZST
- Shared office hours
- 6 PM–10 PM NZST
- Daylight saving
- Both zones shift their clocks
Clock changes this year
- Apr 5, 2026NZST: clocks go back, UTC+13 → UTC+12
- Sep 27, 2026NZST: clocks go forward, UTC+12 → UTC+13
- Mar 8, 2026PST: clocks go forward, UTC−8 → UTC−7
- Nov 1, 2026PST: clocks go back, UTC−7 → UTC−8
Other conversions with these zones
Frequently asked questions
- How do I convert Auckland time to Los Angeles time quickly?
- Add 3 hours and go back one day in January, add 5 hours and go back one day in July, and add 4 hours during the transition weeks.
- How long is the flight from Auckland to Los Angeles?
- About 12 hours. An evening departure from Auckland lands in Los Angeles in the morning of the same calendar date.
- Is Auckland 19, 20 or 21 hours ahead of Los Angeles?
- 21 hours from early November to mid-March, 19 hours from early April to late September, and 20 hours in the weeks between.
- Does Wellington use the same time as Auckland?
- Yes. All of mainland New Zealand shares one time zone; only the Chatham Islands differ, running 45 minutes ahead.