The second airing of an emergency alert test via mobile phones has been hailed as a success — although the variety of alarms and a failure of some phones to receive it has some Northlanders perplexed.
Having misread the word ''test'' for ''text'', many were effectively, if unexpectedly, alerted when their phone erupted into raucous, penetrating sound at 6.18pm on Sunday evening.
The system tripped emergency declarations in different voices on some makes of phones, possibly those bought overseas or parallel imported.
One Northland man was surprised when his phone screen announced in bold letters ''PRESIDENTIAL ALERT''.
Some phones that received an accidental test of the system seven weeks ago did not get one this time, and others in blackspots that don't usually pick up signals did get Sunday's alert.