South Island, New Zealand UFO
In the early hours of December 31, 1978, Melbourne television journalist Quentin Fogarty and his film crew embarked on a flight chartered by a New Zealand television station. Their mission was to explore a UFO sighting area off the New Zealand coast. While airborne, they spotted and recorded bright objects in the sky. Air traffic controllers corroborated their sighting through radar tracking. Extensive research by American scientists couldn't explain a peculiar light source in the footage by conventional means. For the first time in its twenty-two-year history of investigating 20,000 reported UFO sightings, NICAP endorsed this film as genuine. The UFO was captured above New Zealand's South Island, particularly the Kaikoura region. It garnered attention from aviation authorities and even prompted the Royal New Zealand Air Force to place a Skyhawk jet fighter on high alert. The pilot of Fogarty's plane observed a bright white light approximately 20 miles ahead, which seemed to hold its position until they closed within 10 miles. Then, it began to maneuver, following their course. The UFO eventually moved above and below their aircraft, displaying distinct responses to their movements.
