Kaikoura lights
Encyclopedia
The Kaikoura lights is a name given by the New Zealand
media to a series of sightings that occurred in December 1978, over the skies above the Kaikoura mountain ranges
of the northeastern South Island
of New Zealand. The first sightings were made on 21 December when the crew of a Safe Air Ltd cargo aircraft began observing a series of strange lights around their Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy
aircraft, which tracked along with their aircraft for several minutes before disappearing and then reappearing elsewhere. The pilots described some of the lights to be the size of a house and others small but flashing brilliantly. These objects appeared on the air traffic controller
radar in Wellington
and also on the aircraft's on-board radar.
On 30 December 1978, a television crew from Australia
recorded background film for a network show on interviews about the sightings. For many minutes at a time on the flight to Christchurch
, unidentified lights were observed by five people on the flight deck, were tracked by Wellington Air Traffic Controllers, and filmed in color by the television crew. One object reportedly followed the aircraft almost until landing. The cargo plane then took off again with the television crew still on board, heading for Blenheim
. When the aircraft reached about 2000 feet, it encountered a gigantic lighted orb which fell into station off the wing tip and tracked along with the cargo aircraft for almost quarter of an hour, while being filmed, watched, tracked on the aircraft radar and described on a tape recording made by the TV film crew.
A spate of sightings followed the initial report and an Air Force Skyhawk was put on stand-by to investigate any positive sightings.
, the police and the Carter Observatory
in Wellington cooperated in an investigation, the results of which were stamped Top Secret
and lodged in the National Archives in Wellington. The New Zealand Ministry of Defence
attributed the sightings to lights from squid boats reflected off clouds, unburned meteors, or lights from the planet Venus or trains and cars.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
media to a series of sightings that occurred in December 1978, over the skies above the Kaikoura mountain ranges
Kaikoura Ranges
The Kaikoura Ranges are two parallel ranges of mountains in the northeast of the South Island of New Zealand.Formed along New Zealand's Marlborough Fault System, they can be seen as the northernmost extension of the Southern Alps in the South Island....
of the northeastern South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
of New Zealand. The first sightings were made on 21 December when the crew of a Safe Air Ltd cargo aircraft began observing a series of strange lights around their Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy
Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy
The Armstrong Whitworth Argosy was a British post-war military transport/cargo aircraft and was the last aircraft produced by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft...
aircraft, which tracked along with their aircraft for several minutes before disappearing and then reappearing elsewhere. The pilots described some of the lights to be the size of a house and others small but flashing brilliantly. These objects appeared on the air traffic controller
Air traffic controller
Air traffic controllers are the people who expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. The position of the air traffic controller is one that requires highly specialized skills...
radar in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
and also on the aircraft's on-board radar.
On 30 December 1978, a television crew from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
recorded background film for a network show on interviews about the sightings. For many minutes at a time on the flight to Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, unidentified lights were observed by five people on the flight deck, were tracked by Wellington Air Traffic Controllers, and filmed in color by the television crew. One object reportedly followed the aircraft almost until landing. The cargo plane then took off again with the television crew still on board, heading for Blenheim
Blenheim, New Zealand
Blenheim is the most populous town in the region of Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the regional council. It has a population of The area which surrounds the town is well known as a centre of New Zealand's wine industry...
. When the aircraft reached about 2000 feet, it encountered a gigantic lighted orb which fell into station off the wing tip and tracked along with the cargo aircraft for almost quarter of an hour, while being filmed, watched, tracked on the aircraft radar and described on a tape recording made by the TV film crew.
A spate of sightings followed the initial report and an Air Force Skyhawk was put on stand-by to investigate any positive sightings.
Investigation
Following the sightings, the Royal New Zealand Air ForceRoyal New Zealand Air Force
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
, the police and the Carter Observatory
Carter Observatory
The Carter Observatory stands at the top of the Botanic Gardens in Wellington, New Zealand. It re-opened in March 2010 following a NZ$5 million refurbishment, with a new exhibition and digital planetarium celebrating the culture, heritage and science of the Southern Skies.- History :The name...
in Wellington cooperated in an investigation, the results of which were stamped Top Secret
Top Secret
Top Secret generally refers to the highest acknowledged level of classified information.Top Secret may also refer to:- Film and television :* Top Secret , a British comedy directed by Mario Zampi...
and lodged in the National Archives in Wellington. The New Zealand Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (New Zealand)
The New Zealand Ministry of Defence is the arm of the New Zealand Government charged with providing advice on defence matters, as well as providing civilian administration and oversight over the New Zealand Defence Force....
attributed the sightings to lights from squid boats reflected off clouds, unburned meteors, or lights from the planet Venus or trains and cars.
Further reading
- The Kaikoura UFOs. ISBN 0-340-25689-3. Startup, Bill; Illingworth, Neill; 1980; Hodder and Stoughton; Auckland, London, Sydney; Paperback;
- New Zealand UFO Studies Centre: "Kaikoura UFO Controversy" edited by Rocky Wood. Wellington (New Zealand) : New Zealand UFO Studies Centre, 1980. - 22 s. - (4th special issue)
External links
- The 1978 Kaikoura, New Zealand Photographs at About.com
- Bruce Maccabee's page on the Kaikoura UFO sightings - includes his article on same published in Applied Optics.
- Air Force: Kaikoura UFO Explainable, UFO Casebook Magazine, December 2010
- Royal NZ Air Force Files for 1956-1979 - link to RNZAF files for 1956 - 1979 including their Report on Kaikoura UFO's.
- Royal NZ Air Force Files for 1978-1981 - link to RNZAF files for 1978 - 1981 including interviews & technical reports from DSIR & report from NZ UFO Studies Centre re Kaikoura UFO's.
- Royal NZ Air Force Files for 1979-1980 - link to RNZAF files for 1979 - 1980 including Press release Summary of their Investigation into Kaikoura UFO's.
