Strange "vapour trail" left over Auckland sky

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Strange vapour trail left over Auckland sky

NZ Herald,

9 April, 2019

A speeding aircraft with four engines, two on each wing, which dragged a long vapour trail over the North Island, has left Kiwis confused.

The aircraft was spotted flying south to southeast over Auckland around 2.30pm and was spotted in Hamilton heading southwest a short time later.

One woman who spotted the vapour from Highbrook, East Auckland, said the aircraft was travelling too fast to be an ordinary passenger aircraft.

"It had gone more or less straight upward and I started seeing the curve as shown in the video after another three minutes," she told the Herald.

"The video was taken from Highbrook Business Park on Lady Fisher Place and the plane had disappeared over horizon within five minutes of first noticing it."

The aircraft flew over the horizon within minutes. Photo / Supplied

Meanwhile, another reader said he saw the strange vapour over Auckland city leading southwards about 2.15pm.

"I work in an office building in downtown Auckland and I noticed it from our lunchroom," he said.

"It appeared to be flying high above the north shore and heading southward but also still climbing high in the process. It was definitely flying very high at the time."

Aircraft sometimes leave white trails, or contrails, behind them due to the humid exhaust from jet engines mixing within the atmosphere.

They are primarily composed of water in the form of ice crystals, spreading over the sky as aircraft fly to their destination.

Footage of the contrail in Auckland shows the aircraft which caused it to appear to fly high into the air before curving off and heading into the distance.

Others who spotted the mysterious aircraft searched flight radars online but were unable to find any conclusion as to which flight caused it.

A man said he spotted it from Takapuna in Auckland said he couldn't find a call sign for the aircraft and said it was "honking" along.

A Herald reader from Raglan said the aircraft seemed to be flying on a steep ascent, however, a man from Hamilton said it flew very low over the city.

"Looking at the height of it, it appeared too high to be landing at Hamilton airport but very low for a jet," he said.

The strange vapour trail has confused Auckland residents. Photo / Supplied

"The plane flew southwest over Hamilton early this afternoon. Clearly visible and not particularly high. Very wide trail.

"I have seen them in Europe on numerous occasions but nothing this wide and low. The whole staff were looking at it out of the window."

A man who contacted the Herald said the aircraft had twin engines on both wings and was heading eastwards as he looked at it from Riverhead.

Meanwhile, a reader spotted the aircraft from Cockle Bay, East Auckland and said the aircraft was flying south or southeast.

Another man said he pulled over his car at Waiuku after spotting the contrail and checked the flight radar app but was unable to find the mysterious source.

The Herald has contacted the New Zealand Defence Force and the Civil Aviation Authority for comment.