Haze from Australian fires seen in N.Z.

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SYDNEY, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Early risers in parts of New Zealand got a spectacular sunrise Saturday courtesy of the bush fires raging in Australia, meteorologists said.

The MetService said there were no reports of New Zealanders smelling smoke or noticing soot particles, One News reported. But meteorologists said an orange-yellow haze could be seen at sunrise from Canterbury in the center of the South Island to Waikato in the middle of the North Island.

New Zealand is 900 miles east of Australia, separated by the Tasman Sea. In New South Wales, on the east coast of Australia, firefighters were coping with at least 100 bush fires Friday, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Temperatures were expected to ease Saturday, a day after a record high in Sydney. Fire officials said that might cut the risk.