The Kaikoura Lights Incident (1978)
The 1978 Kaikoura Lights Incident, also known as the “Kaikoura UFO sighting,” was a highly publicized UFO sighting that occurred in New Zealand. Here are the key points of the incident:
The Incident: On December 30, 1978, a Boeing 737 aircraft with the New Zealand National Airways Corporation was on a routine flight from Wellington to Christchurch. As the aircraft approached the South Island, the crew and passengers observed strange lights in the sky. The lights were first observed by the co-pilot and were described as a bright light moving at high speed that would periodically stop and change direction. The object then disappeared from view, only to reappear again later in the flight. The incident was also witnessed by the pilot and a journalist who was on board the plane.
The Investigation: The incident was investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). The CAA concluded that the sightings were caused by natural phenomena, while the RNZAF stated that they were unable to identify the object.
Many of those who witnessed the incident claimed that the object was not a natural phenomenon and exhibited flight characteristics that could not be explained by conventional aircraft. Some witnesses reported seeing more than one object, and some described the object as being “as big as a house.” One witness reported that the object emitted a beam of light that illuminated the ocean.
There have been several books written about the Kaikoura Lights Incident, including “The Kaikoura UFOs” by Dr. Bruce Maccabee, and “The Kaikoura Encounter” by Suzanne Hansen. These books explore the details of the incident, the witness testimony, and the investigations.
The incident was one of the few UFO sightings that was captured on video. The footage was taken by a television crew that was on board the same flight as the witnesses. The video footage shows a bright light moving erratically in the sky and has been analyzed by experts, including Dr. Maccabee, who concluded that the object was not a conventional aircraft or natural phenomenon.
The 1978 Kaikoura Lights Incident is a well-documented and highly publicized UFO sighting that occurred in New Zealand. Witnesses reported seeing a bright light moving erratically in the sky, which exhibited flight characteristics that could not be explained by conventional aircraft or natural phenomena. The incident was investigated by the CAA and RNZAF, but no definitive explanation was provided.
