"The students who spotted it said they thought they saw flashing lights on the object.
"To me, it looked like a toy gorilla with a backpack on," she said.
The student flyer claimed that at one point the object moved in one direction, then returned the same way it came before disappearing out of sight.
The image of the mystery object continued to cause plenty of creative speculation on social media - from a "floating blow up hippopotamus" to a "giant floating football helmet", or even "ET returning for more Reese's Pieces".
A police spokesperson said Eastern Police had not received any calls about the sighting.
It's not the first time strange objects and fluorescent lights have been spotted in Hawke's Bay skies, with recorded sightings dating back to 1953.