I only happened to catch the big flash but it looked like it appeared out of nowhere. I initially thought it was lightning but we had no clouds. It looked over into the water because I was looking west and the 90 mile beach is only 14 kms away.
It wasn't until later seeing posts on Facebook stating accounts of the same phenomena that I realized what I had witnessed.
Location
Address
Awanui, Northland (NZ)
Latitude
35° 1' 15.85'' S (-35.02107°)
Longitude
173° 9' 47.14'' E (173.163095°)
Elevation
3m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2023-01-16 23:10 NZDT
UT Date & Time
2023-01-16 10:10 UT
Duration
≈3.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From up left to down right
Descent Angle
179°
Moving
Facing azimuth
290°
First azimuth
290°
First elevation
16°
Last azimuth
290°
Last elevation
-
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-7
Color
Orange, Yellow, Light Yellow
Concurrent Sound
Observation
Unknown
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
Unknown
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
No
Duration
-
Length
-
Remarks
-
Terminal flash
Observation
Yes
Remarks
It looked like a flame drip hitting the ground. A huge bellowing flame that flashed twice before the light quickly died out. 3 seconds max.
