King low tide at the perihelion exposes the Gulf

Earth will be closest to the Sun this year at 7:52pm NZT this evening. This distance is called the perihelion. As well as the moon, the sun also influences tidal ranges. This afternoon, the tidal range was on full display with a King low tide exposing half a kilometre of coast at the south west entrance of the gulf.

Photo: 3:25pm Cheltenham beach, Hauraki Gulf 4th January 2022