UFO sighting has Wellington in a spin

Alex Greig said he often visited Lyall Bay Beach along Wellington's southern coast with his wife, but this morning an unusual shaped orb caught his eye. Photo / Alex Greig

A Wellington man is in awe after spotting an extra-terrestrial object in the sky over Lyall Bay this morning.

Alex Greig said he often visited Lyall Bay Beach along Wellington's southern coast with his wife, but this morning an unusual shaped orb caught his eye.

"This morning we were walking along the beach... and having our morning little hot chocolate, and there it was, the UFO.

"We both went wow! It was amazing having that totally circular big, big, big cloud just sitting there, it was like a Brent Wong painting."

Mr Greig said he had never seen anything quite like it before, and was almost convinced it was something extra-terrestrial.

"I'm still denying everyone saying it is just a cloud. Just the size of it, it was sitting by itself on a reasonably peaceful day... how does something like that form itself above the edge between the water and the land."

The answer was simple, MetService meteorologist Emma Blades said.

"It is called lenticular cloud... they are pretty common in New Zealand because they are created where there is mountains."

Ms Blades said they were formed when there was airflow over mountains.

"It's kind of like when you have a river, and you've got air flowing over pebbles and it creates little waves. It is just like that but in the sky.

"I think it is quite unique because it is one just sitting on its own, quite often you'll get a few of them lined up."

- NZME