* Astronomy

When a series of monstrous explosions shook inland Waverley one July afternoon, farmer Jim Ross thought a plane had crashed.
The big bangs happened on July 7, 1999, just after 4pm, and a report on the unusual astral event was issued last month by Jennie McCormick of Auckland’s Stardome Observatory.
The phenomenon was caused by a meteor – a piece of rock left over from the formation of planets – entering Earth’s atmosphere.
Just after 4 o’clock on that July day, Mr Ross had stopped his motorbike on Kohi Rd, about 4km inland from Waverley, to talk to a neighbour.

"Firstly I heard a big bang, then a whole lot of crinkling noise like someone screwing up silver paper. The next thing I remember was a monstrous bang, a huge explosion. It was just unreal."

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