Mystery over lights in sky

Strong light beams seen searching the Wanganui night sky on Monday remain a mystery - for now.
Witnesses spoken to by the Chronicle yesterday all agreed the lights appeared to emanate from the ground searching skyward rather than random-moving beams usually associated with UFOs.
Wanganui East resident Judy Crow said she and her family spotted the light beams about 8pm and they appeared to come from the coast near the Wanganui Airport or even from as far south as Ohakea Airforce Base near Bulls.
"The beams appeared like very large and strong spotlights searching the night sky.
"They criss-crossed around the sky and rotated up and down and even sideways," Ms Crow said.
"My brother had driven our father down to Bulls in the late afternoon and said he hadn't noticed anything, although it wasn't dark at that stage. But when he came back into Wanganui he was driving up Guyton St and out of the corner of his eye he noticed the stained glass windows at St Mary's Church were very bright.
"He arrived at my place in Wanganui East and we all saw them. It was a very cold and clear night with no clouds visible and it was very difficult to pinpoint exactly where they were coming from. My daughter texted a friend in Brunswick and he could see them, but another friend on Durie Hill couldn't.
"The strangest thing was that when my brother finally got home to his place in Horopito [north of Raetihi] he could still see them," Ms Crow said.
May St residents in Gonville said they were walking toward Carlton Ave and saw the lights, too, but they appeared to emanate from either St Johns Hill or Springvale Park.
Whanganui Police Senior Sergeant Lance Kennedy said there appeared to be no reports of the beams, although he had seen the lights himself.
"There don't appear to be any reports on file, but I saw them myself on my way to the gym and they appeared to me they emanated from somewhere in town," Mr Kennedy said.
Operations staff at the Ohakea Airforce Base had no knowledge of the lights.
In 2006 reports of a possible UFO sighting were finally explained by Ohakea staff. Air traffic control staff said on that occasion spotlights used during the opening of the Grand Hotel's Rosie O'Grady's bar in Wanganui were to blame, but a "Notam" had been issued. A Notam is a notice to airmen of something atmospheric out of the ordinary. Coastguard Wanganui also could not shed light on the strange beams' origins.
If you saw the lights, or have any inkling of where they may have originated from, phone the Chronicle on 06 349 0728 or email news@wanganuichronicle.co.nz.