In one of the strangest astronomical and tourist phenomena around the world, the quiet city of Dunedin in New Zealand is witnessing a frantic race and unprecedented record demand for hotel and room bookings, not for the upcoming summer vacation, but in preparation for a terrifying and amazing cosmic event that will occur on Earth in two years!

The news, which caused widespread excitement and was highlighted by the British newspaper The Guardian, revealed the mobilization of thousands of tourists and natural phenomenon chasers to book their spots early to witness the cinematic scene that will redraw the map of the sky.

Day turns into pitch black night.

According to definitive astronomical calculations, time will stop on July 22, 2028, at 4:17 PM, as the moon will pass directly in front of the sun, completely blocking its light, casting a geographical strip 100 kilometers wide into pitch darkness during the day that lasts for 2 minutes and 51 seconds, from the city of Queenstown in the west to Dunedin in the east.

But the biggest and most astonishing astronomical surprise is revealed by history, as Dr. Ian Griffin, an astronomer and director of the Toitū Otago museum, announced that the last total eclipse experienced by this part of the Earth was in 1163. He stated, "This means that the last event occurred before humans even settled in New Zealand... the current residents and visitors traveling there will be the first people in history to witness this scene from this part of the world!"

This unique cosmic event, which New Zealand has not seen anywhere in its territory since 1965, has prompted authorities to prepare for a flood of people exceeding 35,000 visitors who will join the city's population of 130,000 residents.

What adds to the strangeness and excitement of the situation is that darkness will engulf the city in the middle of the New Zealand winter, specifically just a few days after the Matariki celebrations (the Māori astronomical New Year), as the city is currently working on building a legendary night festival that blends indigenous legends with the terror of sudden darkness, on a night where all its accommodations were booked before it even began!