New Zealand Meteors
June 11, 2004

Mystery bang heard in Hawkes Bay, June 11

Mystery surrounds a massive explosion that shook windows and woke people in several northern Hawkes Bay, NZ towns early yesterday. Theories included a thunderclap, a meteor entering the atmosphere, and an exploding LPG bottle. Constable John Bruce from Kotemaori, 45km southeast of Wairoa, said he thought the noise was an earthquake. Carter Observatory astronomer Kay Leather said the explosion might have been the sonic boom of a meteor entering the atmosphere. A meteor, which might be no larger than a fist, would cause a loud explosion and a light as bright as daylight.

 

Space Relic falls into Living Room, Jun 12, 2004

A solid black lump that crashed into an Auckland family´s living room has turned out to be a huge windfall. Experts have confirmed it is only the ninth meteorite found in New Zealand. They say the new owners of the space rock can expect collectors from around the world to be calling. The specialists were doubting at first but once they saw it they were convinced it was a meteorite. "I did a bit of checking and I thought maybe there´d been a meteor shower or something, but there´s been nothing at this time of year," says Jennie McCormick of the Stardome Observatory. The rock weighs in at 1.3 kilograms.