A "ball of fire" has been seen in the sky over Wellington.
The MetService said in a tweet it looked like an aircraft contrail lit up by the setting sun.
Wellington residents have taken to Twitter with excitement.
Several took photos and uploaded them to social media, some speculating it was a meteorite.
Chang Hung said: "apparently a meteorite or asteroid flew pass the skies of Wellington this evening - anyone see it?
A MetService duty forecaster, Karl Loots, said colleagues had checked flight times and found a scheduled service between Australia and South America that coincided with the timing of the spectacular sight.
They concluded it must be the vapour trail of a high-altitude jet lit up by the setting sun.