A view from the inaugural aurora "flight to the lights".

They came, they gazed, they conquered.

The stars aligned for 130 aurora hunters on the first commercial flight to view the Southern Lights, which returned to Dunedin early on Friday morning.

The sold-out Aurora Australis charter was led by Otago Museum director Dr Ian Griffin, who said it was a "trip I'll remember not only for the amazing photos and lovely views, but also for the many amazing people I met during the project".

Passengers on the the eight-hour journey on board the Air New Zealand 767 were treated to spectacular views of the aurora, said to be viewable by the naked eye.

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The flight attracted passengers from New Zealand and around the world, including a Spanish woman.

SUPPLIED The flight path for the inaugural trip from Dunedin to catch the aurora.

The apparent success of the charter flight, where everyone had a window seat to allow uninterrupted views, meant it was likely to be repeated by Orbit Travel for 2018.

Tickets for the inaugural flight cost $4000 for economy class and $8000 for business class, and sold out in just five days.

The official hashtag #flighttothelights has started trending on social media.