Owner of mystery drone comes forward to claim device

Several people claimed ownership of the drone after the Herald reported it was found crashed in Titirangi.

The owner of the mystery drone found crashed on a Titirangi property before Christmas has come forward to reclaim it.

The man, who did not want to be named, said he lost the drone after taking some aerial shots for a real estate company three months ago.

"I shot a section for a Barfoot and Thompson agent when the drone lost connection and it came down," he said.

"I heard the crash and tried looking for it then, but we just didn't know where it landed."

About five people contacted the Herald claiming ownership, or said they knew who its owner was, following yesterday's report "Mystery drone found crashed in weeds".

However, the man was identified as the rightful owner after he correctly identified the images stored in the drone's SD card.

These included a picture of a house, that he identified as his own, and images of a bush section and pictures of a neighbour's house, which were taken as a gift.

The man said he ran a photography company which used the unmanned flying machine to take aerial pictures as part of the business.

"I'm amazed that the drone is intact and that the card still reads," he said yesterday.

The wife of the man who discovered the drone confirmed the owner had been in touch, and a time is being arranged for him to collect it.

"The drone will be returned, and I am happy that this has a happy ending," she said.

The machine is a DJI Phantom, a remote-controlled drone with a flight coverage of about 300 metres and a built-in camera, and uses GPS technology to return to its last flown site if the autopilot mode is turned on.

It was found before Christmas among the weeds on a block of land on Laingholm Drive, near Titirangi township.