[meteorite-list] Wairarapa Valley

[Paul Gessler]

The National Library of New Zealand has some great documentation on the 
subject of early New Zealand aerolites including Wairarapa Valley
which Anne Black has 4.02 grams posted on (meteorite picture of the day)

http://www.tucsonmeteorites.com/mpodmain.asp?DD=12/30/2014

The following are excerpts from the New Zealand National Library site:

"The earliest instance of any meteoric phenomena being seen in New Zealand 
is one given me by an eye-witness—Mr. H. C. Field, of Wanganui—who states 
that it took place about the year 1853, but is not certain of the exact 
year. He describes it as follows: “I was standing outside my house at 
Waitotara, just after sunset, when I heard a loud whizzing noise overhead. 
On looking up I saw a brilliant body, apparently about the size of the moon, 
passing overhead in a S.S.E. direction, until it was lost behind some 
sandhills. A few days afterwards I saw by a paper that it was seen in 
Christchurch, and was supposed to have dropped into the sea S.E. of that 
town. While travelling across the sky it gave out a white-bluish light.”

"In 1868* Mr. E. Baker published an account of a brilliant meteor which was 
seen at Wellington. He says, “At about a quarter after 7 o'clock on the 
evening of the 5th August … I observed a light, very much brighter than the 
moon (which … was only two days old), shining brightly in a clear sky. The 
light appeared to be a large round ball of fire, about the size of the moon, 
travelling from an easterly direction towards the west. The ball of fire 
burst, and a portion of it apparently struck the ground at about fifty to a 
hundred yards from my house at Karori. There was a rumbling noise at the 
time of the descent of the meteor.” Though mention is here made of a portion 
of the meteor falling to the earth, no stone seems to have been discovered."


For more detailed info including pictures goto the following links:

http://rsnz.natlib.govt.nz/volume/rsnz_42/rsnz_42_00_001870.html

http://rsnz.natlib.govt.nz/image/rsnz_42/rsnz_42_00_0216_0000f_ac_01.html


-Paul Gessler