2012-03-14 - Auckland (New Zealand) - Disk

A saucer shaped object hovering in the distance got my attention, I captured the following image of it over West Auckland New Zealand.

Sighting details: Date of sighting: Wednesday 14th March 2012 Time of sighting: 3.25pm Duration of sighting: Initially a second or two, ( I quickly grabbed my camera and captured a shot on my Sony Cybershot). After taking this shot I saw the object flash off – it then disappeared from view) Total duration perhaps 10-15 seconds.

Location: Elevation Café’s Deck on Scenic Drive, Waitakere City, Auckland New Zealand.

I was meeting a land agent to view a few local sections and we had arranged to meet at Elevation Café’ on Scenic Drive in Auckland’s Waitakere City at 3.30pm. I arrived around 3.15pm and decided to have a coffee out on the deck which offered one of Auckland’s best views from high up on the Western ranges (Waitakere Ranges) looking back over West Auckland in an Easterly direction to Auckland city.

The day was bright and sunny though I’d noticed that today Auckland (unusually) had a haze over it. I had just taken a couple of pictures of the surrounds and was enjoying my coffee when I felt compelled to look skywards, I noticed an airborne object which was a darkish saucer shape and it was hovering a couple of Km’s off into the distance, (The distance is relatively hard to judge) though given that it was appearing past the line formed by the ranges means the object was quite large and must have also been quite a considerable distance away from my vantage point.

To my naked eye the object was relatively small and had a darker bottom section and shinier (?Metallic) top portion. I’d characterise the object as being a “large bug size” from where I was standing and it appeared in the sky at about the height of a low flying aeroplane.

There it sat wobbling and occasionally glinting light (which I assumed was a reflection from the sun) this was only for a very short while in the sky over the Henderson Valley. (I’m not certain about the exact point over which it was hovering) I couldn’t identify what the object was though knew it was something of interest that I hadn’t seen before so quickly grabbed my camera and took a shot. I lowered my camera and managed to see the object for a brief moment, it appeared to have vapours beneath it.

It then ”flashed” and disappeared off to the left vertically on an angle perhaps 65-70 Degrees. After this it was completely gone from sight.

There were no other objects in the sky at the same time as this sighting.

Looking at the picture through my camera’s small rear screen the object didn’t look all that impressive so I waited till I got home and connected my camera to my HDTV.

Two other patrons (a couple) were dining though they didn’t see the object and it being a matter of only a couple of seconds before it left after taking the photo I didn’t have time to alert them before it disappeared. It all happening so quickly and me not being certain of what had just happened I thought it wise not to appear like someone delusional in front of two complete strangers.

I have spent days trying to debunk this sighting myself, …. Perhaps it’s a blimp… perhaps a large cicada with wings on the downbeat…though it is too far off to be a cicada or any type of bird. The object was metallic and saucer shaped, it also disappeared in a flash!! As a trained scientist I always use a methodical and analytical approach to problem solving, this time I have come up with no good answer as to what it is I witnessed over West Auckland- perhaps then this constitutes a UFO?