[meteorite-list] Giant Blast in New Zealand Believed To Be Meteor

[Ron Baalke]

Note: the date on this meteor appears to be the day before the meteorite fall
on the house in New Zealand.

Ron Baalke

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Giant blast believed to be meteor
By BERNARD CARPINTER
www.stuff.co.nz
June 11, 2004

A meteor entering Earth's atmosphere is the most likely explanation for a 
huge bang and flash of light that woke people all over Wairoa.

People reported what sounded like an explosion at 3.40am yesterday from 
Kotemaori, south of Wairoa, to Mahia Peninsula in the north and Lake 
Waikaremoana inland.

Sergeant Chris Flood said he slept through the bang but many people had 
been woken by it.

"The reports have come in from places probably 75 kilometres apart.

"It must have been one hell of an explosion."

Those who had been awake said they had seen light filling the sky, 
much brighter than lightning.

"It lit up everything, they said," Mr Flood said.

There had been no reports of damage.

A meteor seemed the most probable cause.

A Mahia resident said she had been woken by a big thud, followed 
by two or three smaller ones.

"I thought someone had hit our shed so I went and had a look but 
there was nothing there," she said.

The senior astronomer at the Carter Observatory in Wellington, 
Brian Carter, said he had received no reports of a meteor in the 
region.

June had been predicted to be a quiet month for meteor showers in 
New Zealand, but it was still possible for a single meteor to come 
in.

"It must have been something quite impressive," Mr Carter said.

The meteor could have exploded in the atmosphere, in which case 
none of it - or only very small parts of it - would have hit 
the ground.

Observatory astronomer Kay Leather said a meteor, which may be 
no larger than fist size, would cause a loud explosion and a 
light as bright as daylight.

The duty seismologist at the Institute of Geological and Nuclear 
Sciences, Peter McGinty, said the institute had a station at 
Nuhaka, north of Wairoa, but it had recorded no tremors at that 
time.

That indicated that the meteor - assuming it was a meteor - 
must have burnt up in the atmosphere.