WeatherWatch report that another unprecedented plume of smoke from Australia is crossing New Zealand.

This time it is passing over Auckland and the upper half of the North Island, where about half of New Zealand's population lives.

Around 2pm on Sunday the skies, which were already fairly overcast, turned a dramatic orange and darkened significantly.

Himawari Satellite image taken at 2.15pm Sunday January 5, 2020.

'The gloomy weather is likely to continue for the rest of Sunday with this next main plume moving through and thickening over Sunday afternoon,” says a WeatherWatch spokesperson.

'There is a windy Southern Ocean change arriving today in the South Island and Monday and Tuesday nationwide which should clear the air over New Zealand.

'However smoke in the skies is only likely to thicken up over the next few hours.”

From what WeatherWatch.co.nz can tell smoke this thick has never crossed New Zealand from Australia in recorded history.

Photo of the skies above Auckland taken at 2.15pm today. Photo: WeatherWatch.