Kaikoura Lights, Pilots and Radar Track Objects Over New Zealand

Over several nights in late December 1978, commercial airline crews flying near Kaikoura, New Zealand observed large, luminous objects that were simultaneously tracked by Wellington Air Traffic Control radar. On 31 December, a television crew aboard a cargo flight filmed the objects while radar confirmed their presence. The Royal New Zealand Air Force investigated and could not identify the source. The incident generated international media coverage and the New Zealand government later released its investigation files, which confirmed the radar returns were genuine and unexplained.