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This is a New Zealand Defence Force public release of RNZAF file AIR 39/3/3, "Flying Saucers," which covers 1952 to 1955 and was declassified in September 2010 under the Official Information Act. It collects sighting reports from the public and military personnel, press clippings, and a table of 1952 sightings. It also holds Carter Observatory opinions attributing some reports to meteors. A large part covers the inquiry into lights seen from National Airways Corporation Flight 108 on 31 October 1955, which the RNZAF could not fully explain as Venus.
“Christchurch”32 pages
Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.
Wellington 6.12.52 1 am Four Intermittent for 60 mins Disc Circling Nil Object circle slowly above Wovurn. Sparks around edges and red lights. Wellington 6.12.52 9.30 pm One Nil Disc South Nil Small green oval disc Palmerston Palmerston 6.12.52 9.45 pm Two Nil Two discs South Nil Blue above a green object. Glaborne 7.12.52 Nil Two Nil Disc East Nil Progress erratic, appeared to dip once or twice. Wellington 7.12.52 1010 pm One Nil Two discs South Hissing Objects circled round each other blue above green, blue headed south green headed west. Hamilton 9.12.52 9.45 pm Three 10 secs Cigar Nil Nil Described a wide circle, had a feathred tail like a comet. Hastings 10.12.52 1010 pm One 5 mins Round S.W. Orange colour, and appeared moon shaped Punedin 4.12.52 9.33 pm Four One minute Object East Hum Changed direction twice, shewed orange and red light. Poor Knights Islands 13.12.52 8.05 pm Three Five minutes Object West Nil Very bright object viewed from ship movement noted. (Smps OFFERS) Gisborne 16.12.52 10 pm Group Three min Cigar East Nil Illuminous. Violent twisting motion Flew anticlockwise round horizon Welson 16.12.52 1034 pm Party 5 min Object Hovered Nil Several times brighter than star, distinct orange colour. Napier 16.12.52 3.30 am One 5 min Six objects North Six in line astern, yellow in colour travelling slowly/high up. Te Awanga 19.12.52 1015 pm Many Light Movement Nil Terrific bright light appeared fairly regularly high in sky over ranges. Disappears at 1015 pm. Nelson 21.12.52 Three am Two 10 mins Disc Stationery Dull orange colour, with long twirling pointing down vertically high in sky, one each side of the moon, suddenly disappeared. Nr. Napier 27.12.52 10 pm Four 30 secs Oval Stationery Nil Luminous egg shaped objects high in sky, one each side of the moon, suddenly disappeared.
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