| ID | #1689595956 |
| Added | Mon, 17/07/2023 |
| Author | July N. |
| Sources | |
| Phenomena | |
| Status | Fact
|
Initial data
Date: June 13, 2005
Time: 20:30 and all night
Location: in the sea off the coast of the Bay of Plenty, North Island.
Features/Characteristics: charter fishing boats followed by a red pulsing light
Description:
On the evening of June 13, 2005, two charter boats sailed off the coast of Plate Island in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, en route to the port of Fakatane; The "Sorcerer" with one on board was five kilometers ahead of the "Pursuit" with six on board. At about 20:30, both skippers noticed a large pulsating ball of red light (no radar contact) to the south as it followed both vessels into the port of Fakatan.
Within three hours, the light appeared on top of a large lantern and flew along the coastline to the east along Okhop Beach until it disappeared from sight. According to the pursuit team, the main light, estimated to be the size of a house but difficult to identify at night, remained over the Matata area for the rest of the night.
Seven people on both ships were very nervous, they had never seen such a light before. Both skippers noted that he was moving at the same speed as their boats. At some point, the red light approached the Wizard, and then moved away again. This was noted by both skippers, who were in radio contact all the time.
When the Enchanter was near Whale Island, the light was on the shore side of the boat, and soon after that the light disappeared, but the pursuers could still see it now closer to them. They anchored for the rest of the night on the west side of Whale Island and noticed that the light was approaching Matata and they all thought it was hovering over the hills above Matata for the rest of the night.
The evening was overcast and cold, with a light wind. The light was described as bright, like a red brake light on a car.
Ufocus NZ comment:
UFO sightings often occur during seismic or volcanic activity. Matata, the coastal countryside mentioned in this observation, is located near the main fault line of the volcanic region of the Central Plateau, and White Island (an active volcano) is located near the coastline of the Bay of Plenty. In 1987, a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 on the Richter scale occurred in the Bay of Plenty, leaving a 7-kilometer crack known as the "Edgecumbe Fault", which opened up on the Rangitaiki plains near Edgecumbe and Matata.
In May 2005, shortly before this observation, flood waters devastated the village of Matata, causing landslides and mudslides, as well as destroying many houses.
From the beginning of February to June 2005, hundreds of earthquakes (swarms) occurred near Matata. They were very shallow, from 5 to 10 kilometers deep. These swarms were still encountered during the aforementioned observation.
Original news
Date: 13 June 2005
Time: 8.30 pm, and throughout the night
Location: At sea off the coast of the Bay of Plenty, North Island
Features/characteristics: charter fishing boats followed by red pulsing light
Description:
On the evening of 13 June 2005, two charter boats were traveling off the coast of Plate Island in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, en route to Port Whakatane; the Enchanter, with one on board, was five kilometres ahead of the Pursuit, with six on board. Around 8.30 pm both skippers watched a large pulsing orb of red light (no radar contact) to the south, as it followed both vessels to Port Whakatane.
During a three hour period, a light appeared from the top of the large light and flew off along the coastline traveling east along the Ohope Beach until it was out of sight. The main light, estimated to be about the size of a house, but difficult to ascertain at night, stayed above the Matata area for the rest of the night, according to the Pursuit crew.
The seven men on both vessels were very nervous, never having seen such a light before. Both skippers noted that it was traveling at the same speed as their boats. At one time the red light came closer to the Enchanter and then moved away again. This was noted by both skippers, who were in radio contact all the time.
When the Enchanter was adjacent to Whale Island, the light was on the coast side of the boat and the light disappeared soon after, but the Pursuit could still see it now nearer to them. They anchored for the remainder of the night on the west side of Whale Island and noted the light moved nearer Matata and they all thought it hovered over the hills above Matata for the remainder of the night.
The evening was overcast and cold with light winds. The light was described as being as bright as a red brake light on a car.
Ufocus NZ comment: UFO sightings often occur around the time of seismic or volcanic activity. Matata, the coastal rural area mentioned in this sighting, sits near a major fault line from the Central Plateau volcanic region, and White Island (an active volcano) sits nearby off the Bay of Plenty coastline. In 1987, a major earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale, struck the Bay of Plenty leaving a 7km crack known as ‘the Edgecumbe Fault’ that opened in the Rangitaiki Plains near Edgecumbe and Matata.
In May 2005, shortly before this sighting, floodwaters ravaged the township of Matata, causing landslides and mudslips and destroying many houses.
From early February right through to June 2005, hundreds of earthquakes (swarms) occurred near Matata. They were very shallow, between 5 and 10 kilometres deep. These swarms were still occurring at the time of the above sighting.
Hypotheses
Investigation
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