All sightings, photographs, drawings, and articles are © Ufocus NZ.

UFOCUS NZ has an extensive archive of New Zealand UFO/UAP sightings dating from 1869 to the present day.  Due to the volume of sightings, only a small sample of the sightings will be displayed on the website in each decade.  Anyone wishing to check out a particular historic sighting or date can contact us, and we can search the archive for you.

The extent of our investigation and analysis of sighting reports is dependent upon the data received and the length of time elapsed between the sighting event and the receipt of a report.  If applicable, additional comments are made at the bottom of a report.

Date:  Between October and December 1952 or 1953 (summertime)

Time: Around 8 pm, just after sunset

Location: Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour, North Island

Features/characteristics: Highly reflective cylindrical object

Description:

Fine weather, no cloud.  Duration of sighting approximately 15 seconds.

The witnesses, a married couple, were driving along Tamaki Drive (close to Okahu Bay, heading towards Mission Bay).  In the first few seconds, Mrs S. thought she was seeing an amphibious aircraft, as it was low over the water, until she viewed unusual details and shouted at Mr S. to stop the car.  They both then observed the object’s vertical take-off, completely silent.

Without a change to its horizontal attitude, the object suddenly shot up vertically in a precise 90-degree direction change, and was lost from view in seconds.  It was a highly reflective, silvery, cylindrical shape was tapered features. There was a slight bulge on the other nose, but no forward-facing windows. Around seven distinctive windows along the length were shining with dazzling bright multicoloured light (mainly yellow red and blue colouration is that each window).   The windows appeared squarish with rounded corners, similar in shape of early TV screens.  A blueish coloured vapour cloud appeared at the rear, approximately a third of the length of the object. No visible trail was left behind the vapour cloud, even though the cloud seemed to be blasted out of the object’s tapered tail with some force. The tapered tail had no visible ending as it appeared to blend into or be obscured by the vapour emission.

After sitting stunned in the car, the couple discussed what to do next. They decided to return to the city to report the incident to the New Zealand Herald newspaper. The Herald staff were far from believing and treated as a joke. A staff member said theirs was the eighth report of a UFO to the Herald that evening, and a number of reports came from Auckland’s North Shore. The witnesses believe a small article appeared in the New Zealand Herald the next day, but not on the front page, it was well-hidden further inside the paper.

Artistic Impression of object

Date: Tuesday, 28 October 1952

Time: 2:45 am

Location: Dunedin, South Island

Features/characteristics: Metallic Disc

Description:

Two Dunedin people, Mr. and Mrs. J.P. Burke, awakened at 2.45 a.m. by a soft, high-pitched metallic sound, witnessed an incident in the early hours of October 28, 1952, that was outstanding. Mr. Burke, a pilot of eight years’ experience, watched a comparatively slow-moving disc surrounded by greenish phosphorescent glow, for 20 minutes.  It was first seen at approx. 5-6000ft. Speed approx. 300mph. Sky 10/10ths cloud.

A distinct metallic ring was heard while the object was overhead, and the witness wondered if the craft was in trouble, and an emergency means of power may have been in use. Its actions – the slow speed, the metallic noise, and its unusually long exposure and retreat – suggested to the witnesses that something may be faulty.  They described it as cymbal-shaped, like a drummer’s cymbal with a separate elongated section underneath.  The couple watched the crafty for twenty minutes before it climbed steadily away to disappear like a star-like dot in the sky.

Witness drawing of the object

Date: Saturday, 6 December and in the early hours of Sunday 7 December, 1952

Time: 8:40 pm onwards

Location: Palmerston North, Masterton, Auckland, Gisborne, North Island; locations between Wellington and Christchurch, South Island

Features/characteristics: Co-related sightings of two disc-shaped objects

Description:

Correlating reports concerning a singular blue disc and a pair of discs, a blue above a green, that headed south on separate paths on the Saturday night, December 6, 1952.

At 8.40 p.m. the same evening a pair of discs, a blue above a green, was seen by two Auckland observers. The discs were heading south, and a faint hissing sound was noted.

At 9.45 p.m. the formation was seen at Palmerston North, and ten minutes later at Masterton.

All three localities reported identical happenings. There were six other reports from other districts that Saturday night.

(The hissing noise had previously been noted in three overseas reports – two in America and one in France, in 1951).

Heading south, the blue disc was first sighted at Gisborne at 9.15 p.m. It was sighted for a further seven times in both islands before disappearing south of Invercargill at 11.20 p.m. Its speed was later calculated at 600 mph. All but one check point reported the hissing noise.

Date: Friday, August 21, 1953

Time: 11 am

Location: Taranaki, North Island

Features/characteristics: Cylindrical object

Description:

Several witnesses observed a whitish-grey object, like a fluorescent tube at an altitude of approximately 40 feet, which made a distinct whirring noise.

Date: Sunday 6 December, 1953

Time: 8 pm

Location: Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, North Island

Features/characteristics: “Chandelier” shaped object

Description:

An unusual object in the sky was seen by Mrs. S., which hovered in the sky at no great distance, a little to the north. It was round, bright, and silvery, and gave the appearance of a great chandelier. Suddenly, it shot upwards with a terrific hiss, turned and streaked across the sky to the south-east. After the object had disappeared, a trail of pink and white “cloud” hung in the sky for about five minutes.

Date: Monday, 24 May, 1954

Time: 7 am

Location: Taharoa, Taranaki, North Island

Features/characteristics: Several disc-shaped objects

Description:

Three pilots of a New Plymouth aerial top-dressing firm saw a number of strange objects flying over Eastern Taranaki at about daybreak. The objects were oval in shape and were seen flying at great speed before disappearing in the clear morning sky. The men had left the New Plymouth Airport at about 6.50 a.m. and were flying a Cessna high-winged to a strip near Tahora. None of the pilots had ever seen anything like these objects before.

The men were reluctant to talk, but this is how one described the incident:

“We left for Tahora airstrip and were nearing there when at about 7.00 a.m. we saw some strange objects in the east in the direction of Taumarunui. We would have been between Uruti and Tahora at the time and flying at 3,000 feet east from New Plymouth. Visibility was excellent, and there was no cloud. We all saw them at the same time; they looked so strange we could hardly believe our eyes. At that time of the day, we are usually the only people flying. We first noticed three of the objects, they appeared to be hovering at about 7000 feet above us, but as we were flying at 135mph (215kph), it would be difficult to estimate accurately whether or not they were moving.

The objects were oval in shape and looked like giant discs. They were orange-red in colour with a reddish flame coming from them. We flew on in the same direction for another three minutes, and we saw approximately 12 more. They were flying in a single line formation. Suddenly, they all climbed steeply and disappeared with altitude.”

All three witnesses were experienced pilots in first-class physical condition and have been top-dressing for four years. The pilots further said: “We are quite certain that what we saw were not aircraft as we know them. We have all seen the most modern aircraft flying in New Zealand today and many flying overseas, and these were nothing like any of them.”

Date: Tuesday 13 July, 1954

Time: 9:50 pm

Location: Dargaville, Northland, North Island

Features/characteristics: Rocket-like object

Description:

“Weird and frightening” was the description given by a party of six Dargaville women who saw a huge rocket-like object glide slowly over Dargaville. It came from the direction of Whangarei and disappeared in the direction of the west coast. The women were amazed by the slowness of the object’s flight and its apparent low altitude. It was rocket shaped, yellow in front, followed by bright emerald green. What appeared to be flames were seen leaping from the rear end of the object, which illuminated the countryside over which it travelled. “It was definitely frightening,” said one of the women.

A resident on Hokianga Road also saw it. He was asleep at the time but was awoken by the light from the object. He rushed outside to investigate the illumination and was in time to see the object disappear over a hill in a manner that suggested to him would bring the object down to earth. An immediate search of the area failed to locate any sign of the object.

Date: 1955

Time: Unknown

Location: Upper Turakina Valley, Wanganui, North Island

Features/characteristics: White object on the road disappears

Description:

Late one night in 1955, Mr. T. and a friend, while travelling home by car, noticed a large white object sitting on the road about half a mile ahead. On closer observation they noticed that a light from the object illuminated the road and trees for quite a distance all around the immediate area. He also saw figures walking round the object, and although he is not quite certain of the exact number, he is sure that there were more than two.

The witnesses’ first thought was that a car was on fire. The road on which they were travelling is very winding and it took them three minutes to get to the spot where they had seen the object. While travelling towards the object they were unable to see very much of the sky due to trees and embankments. When finally arriving at the spot, they found nothing. The whole experience seemed so fantastic that they never reported anything to anyone at the time, but they later spoke to investigators.

Date: Tuesday 18 January 1955

Time: 7.55 pm

Location: Whangarei, Onerahi, Kaitaia, & Ngunguru, Northland, North Island

Features/characteristics: Cigar-shaped object

Description:

Multiple witnesses from Whangarei, Onerahi, Kaitaia, and Ngunguru witnessed the passage across the sky of a brilliantly-lit cigar-shaped object, flying in a westerly direction. Most described the object as looking like a large and brightly lit-up aircraft, without wings or tail. The glow was yellow in colour and brightest at the tail-like exhaust end. The light radiance was described as outshining the sun. A Mrs. P. described it as looking like an electric light bulb, with the thin end trailing a brighter glow. It was in sight for more than a minute from 7.55 p.m.

A similar sighting occurred on 27 January at Onerahi, observed by an Officer in the Armed Services.

Between 4.45 a.m. and 5.30 a.m. in the morning, on at least three occasions, the witness saw a similar strange sight. On looking up to check on the weather, he was amazed to see a brightly-lit, cigar-shaped object flying in a southerly direction overhead. The object’s bright glow was yellowish in colour, and was accompanied by a humming sound.

Date: November 1955

Time: 7.30 pm

Location: Rothesay Bay, Auckland, North Island

Features/characteristics: A group of connected disc-shaped objects

Description:

On an evening in November 1955, the witness was standing near the site of the Fire Station in Rothesay Bay. It was still quite light, and from the western sky towards the north were several banks of large dark clouds, the closest of which were lying to the west at perhaps a distance of 6 or 8 miles. From the direction of Silverdale, he noticed what he took to be a large aeroplane flying swiftly, from behind one dark cloud and across the clear sky. It was in view for fully 5 seconds before it disappeared behind another cloud, which was probably over Riverhead.  He viewed the object partly from the front and from the side of it as it passed. The witness then noticed that it had no wings and was not an aeroplane. It consisted of four oval discs on edge, each connected to the next by a connecting bar, which gave out a brilliant white light like a magnesium flare. The disc at the front had the largest diameter, and all the discs were lying in a vertical position and were not all the same size, with the smallest at the back. It flew speedily on a horizontal line of flight, left no trail, and made no sound. It appeared to be two or three times larger than an “Electra” airliner (of that era). The largest disc was about the same distance across as the length of the whole object. The thickness of the connecting bars was approximately one-tenth of the diameter of the largest disc.

The following day, the New Zealand Herald newspaper gave reports of an “object” flying in a southerly direction observed by other witnesses in Whangarei, Hamilton, and Mairangi Bay, Auckland.

Connected Disc Shapes

Date: Friday, 25 May 1956

Time: 7.50 am

Location: Balclutha, Otago, South Island

Features/characteristics: Disc with “portholes”

Description:

Standing on a high hill about a mile south of Balclutha, waiting for a car to take them to work, two men saw what they described as “a flat object with portholes” travelling in a southerly direction over the sea beyond Kaitangata.  They stated it disappeared in a matter of seconds and left no trail.

The sighting was reported in the Otago Evening Star, Dunedin, 25^th May 1956.

Date: June 1956

Time: Late afternoon/early evening

Location: Waipukurau, Hawkes Bay, North Island

Features/characteristics:

Description:

The witness was 18 at the time and living at home with her parents on their family farm. The family lived on a small Romney Marsh stud farm a mile from the Waipukurau township.  The farm bordered the Tuki Tuki riverbed on the north side, the AMP show grounds on the west side, a neighbour’s farm on the east side, and Mt Herbert Rd on the south side.

One night in late June, when the witness’s father and brother were returning from the woolshed and were taking their boots off at the back porch, they noticed a bright white light slowly moving from east to west above the Tuki Tuki River, which was north of their vantage point.

The father called out to the witness and her mother to go out onto the porch and have a look at this strange light. By the time the two women left dinner preparations to get outside, the light had disappeared.  They joked with the father, telling him he must have been seeing things, before returning to the kitchen.  A few seconds later, the farmer and son called out again, and the two women rushed out the door to the porch to see an amazingly bright light going up the River from east to west.  As it was disappearing from view, it gained altitude and then turned to come at a fast pace directly towards the farmhouse.  The witness started screaming to her father, asking him what on earth could be about to happen to them, and asking whether they should leave the house in case they were killed by this object.

However, as the light lost altitude, they realized that it was not going to land on their house, but it came down between the cowshed and a line of pine trees by the home boundary fence – approximately 50 yards away.  The object within the light was now clearly visible.

A small silver-grey saucer-shaped object, about the length of a car in width, came to a halt and hovered about 20ft from the ground over the lambing paddock, close to where the dog kennels were positioned on the other side of the trees.  It was emitting a bright light that lit up the entire 2 four acre paddocks, which were divided by a line of pine trees running from the farm boundary to the Tuki Tuki river bed.  The object lit up these 2 large paddocks as if it were broad daylight.  The sheep grazed unperturbed, but the dogs went absolutely berserk and howled like they had never been heard to howl before.  They leapt and strained on the end of their chains, trying to get away.  (The witness has since wondered if the object was giving off a high-pitched sound that was beyond human hearing range, but clearly audible to the dogs’ sensitive hearing.)

The witness was absolutely traumatized with fear, pleading with her father to help explain what was going on. However, she soon noticed that her father, mother and brother seemed to be transfixed on the spot, whilst she hid behind her father.  She recalls them just standing perfectly still as if paralysed, without any movement, reaction or conversation.  In those moments, she felt very afraid and alone.

The witness described the eerie silence from this object as perplexing, and that the air around the family felt as if it was somehow “pressing down” on her.  She was terrified that someone was going to take them away, but the object just hovered there.  After a few minutes, it took off in an upwards movement, lighting up all the banks of cloud until it appeared to be moon-sized, then took off at great speed, in fact “in a flash”, due east.  It then suddenly stopped and hovered, and in a flash, moved due north and disappeared.

When the witness’s family regained their senses, they were amazed by what they could recall of the incident, but were not shocked like the witness herself, who had remained ‘conscious’ throughout the event.  She was the only one who shook uncontrollably for several hours and had a severe headache, which did not subside until the next day.

After this experience, the father swore the family to secrecy, and they were not allowed to mention any of it to anyone for fear of becoming the laughing stock of the community.  However, some time afterwards, the father took his daughter into his confidence and told her that he had seen unusual things in the sky before.

The family homestead in Hawke’s Bay

Date: Thursday 19 July 1956

Time: 4.08 am

Location: Whenuapai Air Force Base, Auckland, North Island

Features/characteristics: Orange, pear-shaped object

Description:

The meteorological officer at the Whenuapai control tower witnessed a strange sight.  He stated:

“I saw a bright orange, pear-shaped object to the WSW of the Whenuapai Control Tower. It appeared to be approx. 25-30 degrees above the horizon. During the one to two minutes I observed the object, it did not appear to be at any great distance. I left the tower and proceeded to the radar hut (some 400 yards distant). Upon arrival at the hut (I had temporarily lost sight of it behind buildings), the object had disappeared. Approximately five minutes later, I noticed a stratocumulus cloud, height 3,500 feet, to be now outlined by an orange light, giving the impression that it was so lighted from above and beyond.  About two minutes later, the light had gone.

The light from the object was most intense in the centre and somewhat diffused on the outer edges. Fog at the time could have caused this effect. There is an orange light mounted on a telegraph pole at Whenuapai gate, but this gate light was obscured from my original sighting location and more south. The moon was in a northerly direction and higher in the sky.

I have not previously sighted anything like this before, nor have I been able to find any satisfactory explanation for the object I sighted.”

A.A. BOWERS, Met. Officer, Whenuapai.

Date: Thursday, 19 July 1956

Time: 4.31 am

Location: Tolaga Bay, East Coast, North Island

Features/characteristics: Brilliantly lit object

Description:

Three adults made a 13-minute observation of a glowing object at close quarters.  One of the witnesses, a local farmer, stated:

“My mother and aunt, and myself had a close view, unobstructed, from our front verandah at my farm homestead. We were awakened at approx. 4.31 a.m. by a brilliant light shining in the uncovered windows.  An object was approx. 200 yards distant and on about eye level, as the house is approx. 30’ to 40’ above sea level. The object was surging up and down slowly in a similar way to a magnifying glass. It was straight above the sand, as it was reflected in the wet sand. There was a distinct feeling of heat, not excessive, but definitely there. It can best be described as being an object almost completely round, and there was a band of light around the centre, but slightly above the middle (a marble with a washer over it would fit the description). From the bottom, there were six streams of light dripping out. I say dripping, as that best describes it, like molten metal dropping. This only took place when it was surging up and down.

Also, from the top, there were two beams of light which shot out about 12 feet and slowly retracted to the body again, almost as though sending out radar, or some other such signals. The band of light around the middle changed colour, but only when it took off, when the light became more brilliant. We could see no signs of apertures or portholes as the light was so brilliant, almost like staring into a powerful electric light bulb. I went down to see if I could find any deposit in the morning, but with no success. At 4.44 a.m., this object slowly rose to about 60 feet and glided out over the sea for about half a mile and then slowly began to rise. At no time did it speed. What time it arrived we do not know; but a shepherd of mine, living due west of us about 4 miles away, saw a light travelling in an easterly direction about 4.15 a.m. The night was brilliantly clear, bright moonlight, cold, and there was little or no wind. Unfortunately, our phone was out of order on this occasion and we had no camera.

This object disappeared travelling almost due east. Several of the local people saw the light but did not investigate further. Fishing trawlers are inclined to sneak in close at night and get out before first light, so lights would not arouse any curiosity. This object was about 30 feet in diameter; it was definitely not saucer-shaped. From my observations, I would be emphatic and say that “it” could quite easily have been controlled by some sort of intelligence. Although pressed to inform the local paper, I did not, as no one likes to be held up to ridicule.”

Date: Wednesday, 5 September 1956

Time: 1.45 am

Location: Kaponga, Taranaki, South Island

Features/characteristics: Large, peculiarly-shaped object

Description:

A Kaponga farmer was considerably startled by a large, peculiarly-shaped object, white in colour and travelling at a surprising speed, which flashed across the sky above his farm between 1.30 am and 2 o’clock.  Still excited some hours later, the farmer, Mr. B. Thomson, was positive that the approximately 60-foot long, 30-foot wide object was out of this world in air travel.

Mr. Thomson told a reporter that he awoke about 1.30 a.m. and decided to see a sick animal which he had given injections to the night before.  As he was walking towards the animal, he suddenly heard a hissing noise, gradually increasing in intensity, above him. Looking upwards, he saw a white light, then a blue light. As the hissing sound came closer, he could make out the shape of a huge object, unlike any he had ever seen before.

Mr. Thomson said it appeared to have a turret-like glass nose which bulged out at the front and from which the white light came; delta-like wings which were rounded; a larger glass turret on the middle of the back from which the blue light came; and a tapering tail that he could not see clearly.

The hissing sound appeared to come from the rear of the tail, indicating some form of engine. He could see neither any markings nor wheels.

The object, which he thought was about 1500 feet up, was travelling in an easterly direction between Hawera and Eltham, at a speed which he estimated at between 300 and 400 miles per hour.

The possibility of the object being a conventional aircraft was discounted by Mr. Thomson, who has a fair knowledge of planes. He pointed out it was unlikely that an aircraft would be flying at that time of the morning

Witness drawing

Date: Tuesday, 1 January 1957

Time: Early morning

Location: Rissington, Hawkes Bay, North Island

Features/characteristics: Cylindrical object

Description:

(Note: “UFOs” were reported from January to September, 1957, in the Hawkes Bay region)

On January 1^st, early in the morning, Mr. and Mrs. McEwen of Rissington (near Napier) sighted what they described as an “enormous long bright object” from their bedroom window, looking in a north-easterly direction. The glowing object, described as “like a wrapped newspaper [ie. cylindrical],” was low on the skyline and quite stationary. Rays of light extended from it. The McEwens watched it for 30 minutes until their eyes began to smart and from the object’s brightness and light intensity. Previously very sceptical of the existence of such objects, both witnesses were very impressed with their unusual observation. Further observations were made by this family and two young girls (neighbours) on the nights of 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th January, of bright, glowing “ball-like lights” which disappeared by sudden vertical ascent.

Date: Saturday 8 June 1957

Time: 6.45 pm

Location: Ellerslie, Auckland, North Island

Features/characteristics: Triangular-shaped object

Description:

Two witnesses reported sighting a swiftly-moving, triangular-shaped object crossing a clear sky space between clouds. The white object disappeared behind the cloud, flying a horizontal course at approx. 70 degrees elevation. Whilst in view, a shower of red sparks commenced to issue from the rear of the triangle, but the sparks ceased to be ejected just before it disappeared. The object was flying with the base of its triangular form foremost (a Delta in reverse). The observers estimated the object transited 45 degrees of clear sky and was observed for 10 seconds. No sound was heard.

Date: Thursday, 7 November 1957

Time: 10.43 pm

Location: Waiuku, North Island

Features/characteristics: Object hovering close to the ground

Description:

Mr. R.J. Pollard, ex-RNZAF Flight Engineer, No. 5FB Squadron, had a most unusual experience whilst returning to his home in Waiuku from a meeting in the village. On rounding a bend in the main road at 10.43 p.m., he was startled to find himself confronted with a most unconventional object hovering only half a mile ahead at another bend. The object was only 50 or so feet above the road. It was brilliantly illuminated and a flattened sphere in shape. “Like looking at an electric light bulb,” reported Mr. Pollard. On the top of the object was what appeared to be an antenna protruding upwards in a narrow pyramid form, and glowing green in colour.

Mr. Pollard stopped his car, stepped out, and studied the weird object more closely. Just before he stopped, however, the object suddenly appeared to become aware of his presence and reacted by quickly ascending a few hundred feet higher. It now moved away slowly, then equally suddenly, dived down to circle the edge of Lake Pokorua, at a low altitude. The object now rose again and moved away to take up a hovering position above a trig station on a sand hill. The sky was clear, and brilliant moonlight from a near-full moon made observation ideal, reported Mr. Pollard.

Mr. Pollard, now very near his home (farming), drove off the main road to his residence and called out to his wife. They drove back up the road to get as close to the object as possible, still hovering over the sand hill. Shortly, the object moved off southwards at an estimated 40 knots down the coast following the sand hills. Altogether, it was in sight for some 15 minutes.

Immediately following this startling experience, Mr. Pollard put a toll call through and gave all the details to the New Zealand Herald. The Press probably considered this incident may backfire on them if they published the details and wrote it off as “another obvious meteor,” so they kept it under their hat and published nothing.

Date: Saturday 12 July 1958

Time: Just after midnight

Location: South Island, several locations

Features/characteristics:

Description:

Just after midnight on 12^th July, a brilliant green-orange rocket-like object was sighted by hundreds of people throughout Canterbury, Otago, and Southland. All witnesses agreed on the basic details. The object was huge, rocket-like, predominantly green-orange in colour, and appeared to come to earth after a long, low, and slow downward, slanting flight. Some witnesses claim the object was upwards of 40 yards in length, was clearly bullet-shaped, and in sight for 30 seconds or more.

Newspapers throughout the three provinces carried many stories about the mass sighting. Some papers carried reports about it for three consecutive days. The only comment from sources outside the Press offices came from Mr. A.F. Jones, a well-known amateur astronomer. Mr. Jones believed the object was probably “a very bright meteor.” If Mr. Jones had viewed all the reports, he may have looked a little beyond his meteor explanation. A number of witnesses noted vivid flashes after the object landed or made contact with the earth. They thought this occurred in the area known as Taiko Zig-Zag. On the following night, orange balls or globes of light were seen coursing around Ashburton and Timaru skies.

Date: Monday 13 July 1959

Time: 5.30 am

Location: Near Blenheim, South Island

Features/characteristics: Close proximity to a craft;  known as “the Moreland Sighting”

Description:

The following is an eyewitness report of an incident that took place at Blenheim, South Island. On my request, Mrs. Moreland, of Old Renwick Road, Blenheim (the only witness), furnished her own details of the incident:

“At about 5.30 a.m. on the morning of July 13^th, 1959, I was going out across the paddock to bring in the cows for milking after having switched on the light in the shed. The morning was very cold with a thick cloud, which has been roughly estimated at about 2000 feet [610 metres].

I was about halfway across the paddock when I noticed an odd green glow in the clouds directly above me. I stopped to look at it, thinking that it couldn’t be the moon (anyway, it was in the wrong place), when suddenly two green lights like large “eyes” appeared through the cloud. The ground was illuminated with this sickly green light, and when I looked down at myself, I too was bathed in this light. I immediately thought, “I should not be here,” and I bolted for the pines which border the paddock. I could see the cows plainly in the light and ran among them and stood against a tree.

When I turned round, the saucer was about 50 feet [15 metres] from the ground and slowly descending. There were two rows of jets like flames sprouting from two bands at the top and bottom of the “fuselage”. These were of a brilliant orange fading off to yellow and made a faint hissing noise. At about 15 feet [4.5 metres] from the ground, she suddenly halted and became motionless, just hanging there. At once, the jets shut off and reappeared at an angle – each band then began to whirl at high speed, with little or no “revving” up. This was accompanied by a faint humming sound.

I then noticed that the ship was occupied, and I am afraid I was scared stiff. The clear plexiglass or perspex (or whatever the material was) cabin was lit with a pure white light, though I couldn’t see the source of light. The two men were seated behind one the other, at more than an arm’s length apart. They were dressed in almost skin-tight suits of some shiny material like aluminium foil, which wrinkled with each movement and deflected little points of light. The rear man suddenly stood up and leaned forward on his hands, and appeared to be looking down at something between them. I could see a reflection of a flickering light in front of him, but could not see what it was. I did not get a glimpse of their features as the huge helmets, which took in from shoulder to shoulder (as I have sketched), were opaque and silver like the suit. The man then sank back in his seat, the ship tilted at a slight angle, the bands of jets stopped whirling, and the jets appeared as when descending and with a mighty “whoosh” of air she rose vertically, still at the slight angle, and vanished into the clouds at a tremendous speed, accompanied by a high-pitch whine. I never thought anything could move at such a speed; it was unbelievable.

A moment or two later, the atmosphere became noticeably warm, and there was a strange smell of “hot pepper”. After a moment or two, I pulled myself together, as it were, collected the cows, which had not been the least bit alarmed at the strange object, and drove them to the yard. As I did so, I heard the town clock chime a quarter to six, so the visit could not have been more than 2-3 minutes, though it seemed ages.

I milked as usual, put the milk out at the gate, and then flew inside with my story. Everyone was soon awake. My husband believed me and told me to ring the police. I was hesitant at first, saying, “Who is going to believe that I saw such a thing?” However, I did ring, and they were mightily interested. My husband, who is a member of the RNZAF at Woodbourne, notified the authorities there, who, far from scoffing at the story, took it very seriously. However, they do believe it, and that is the main thing as far as I am concerned.”

In a second letter, Mrs. Moreland adds the following interesting details:

TERRAIN: The paddock is a flat one, and the trees (pines) are on the same level.

POSITION OF OBSERVER: I was more or less looking both up to and onto the saucer, and since it was about 40 yards away [36 metres] and only a few feet in the air, the angle was not very great.

BANDS: The bands were contra-rotating when she was hovering only, but they were fixed for both descent and ascent.

MEASUREMENTS OF CRAFT: The “fuselage”, meaning the part between dome and slightly bulging underside, appeared cylindrical rather than saucer-shaped. Its diameter is given as 20-25 feet [6-7.5 metres] and its depth as 4½ feet [1.4 metres], since the bands, according to Mrs. Moreland seemed to be at least 1½ft [0.45 metres] wide with a similar space in between, thus, inclusive of dome and underside, making the overall depth about 7½-8 feet [2.3-2.4 metres]. These measurements are, of course, only approximate and, adds the witness, “the nearest would be to say that the saucer was approximately ¹/₃rd of her width in depth.”

OCCUPANTS: The man appeared to be about five feet [1.5 metres] or a little better. Singular form is used here, since the other “man” stayed seated. The former (the rear man) did not stand upright, but merely stood and leaned forward on his hands.  Only the rear man stood up and moved. The front man did not move at all, and for all I know, could have been a robot. The suits were almost skin-tight, so I am sure I’d have seen some movement if he was real.”

OBSERVANCE AND ATTITUDE OF WITNESS: Mrs. Moreland writes: “I can assure you I will never forget one detail as long as I live, even if I never see another one. I cannot say what kept me there, looking at it, I just couldn’t move, even if I’d wanted to! Fortunately, I am not a nervous type and I am not easily scared, so perhaps that is the answer.”

The row of fruit trees under the position the UFO hovered became withered and had to be pulled out. But the grass in the paddock, ever since, has grown at a much faster rate, and several times taller and greener than anywhere else, and yet the fruit trees died.

Her husband, a security guard at the nearby RNZAF base, Woodbourne, told his officers, and Mrs. Moreland was interviewed by an Air Force Officer who played a series of recordings to her in Wellington. The sound she identified as nearest to that made by the UFO was something whirling at 75,000 revs or cycles a minute, the recordings proved.

Mrs. Eileen Moreland’s famous sighting was also observed by four drivers on their way to Nelson. The men had left Blenheim at different times but all saw the same object. A Blenheim farmer that morning at the exact time also saw an unforgettable green light which lit up his whole house. The farmer was inside the house at the time.

Moreland Sighting

For more extensive details of the Moreland Sighting, see our ‘Articles’ page – The Moreland Sighting