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Story: Meteorites

Meteorite falls and finds in New Zealand

Name Date found Region Finder Classification Type
Wairarapa 1863 Wairarapa W. H. Donald Stony (chondrite) Find
Makarewa 1879 Southland A. & I. Marshall Stony (chondrite) Find
Mokoia 1908 Whanganui W. Syme Stony (carbonaceous chondrite) Fall*
Morven 1925 Canterbury W. Stewart Stony (chondrite) Find
View Hill 1953 Canterbury C. G. Anderson Iron Find
Waingaromia 1970 Gisborne H. Reeves Iron Find
Dunganville 1976 West Coast E. (Ted) Dowie Iron Find
Kimbolton 1976 Manawatū R. H. de Rose Stony (chondrite) Find
Auckland​ 2004 Auckland B. & P. Archer Stony (chondrite) Fall*
Takapō 2024 Canterbury Fireballs Aotearoa Stony (chondrite) Fall*

This table lists the three meteorites that have been seen to fall (in bold), and those that have been found, in New Zealand. Full information about falls and finds around the world, including technical details on each meteorite, is given in the Catalogue of meteorites, published by Cambridge University Press.

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Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

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How to cite this page

Simon Nathan, Meteorites – Meteorites in New Zealand, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/table/4694/meteorite-falls-and-finds-in-new-zealand (accessed 5 June 2026).

Story by Simon Nathan, published 2 March 2009.

Comments

Jason
26 August 2022
I’ve found a few rocks on family land in the wairarapa that are magnetic and look the part just not tested also I seen a fall on the 16th of august in Christchurch parklands area. And I found a shards sure but non are magnetic but look the part
Ron Dobbins
25 February 2022
Hey! New Zealand meteoriters! What happened to "Opotiki," June 12, 1989? A carbonaceous chondrite! It doesn't come up here. Said to have been a "hammer." Might be worth big money too. And, what kind of "building"? I'm doing some research on such things! All help appreciated. Ron Dobbins San Diego, California USA 2/24/22
Jennie Margaret McCormick
05 February 2022
Hi there, the Meteorite that fell in Auckland was officially named AUCKLAND, not Ellersile as listed above.
Riris
04 May 2021
There was one found at whitau school yesterday ?
Mike Osborne
29 August 2020
Saw the closest ever meteor last night coming down Hatepe hill could see the colours in the tail and actually see parts breaking off before it completely disappeared time was exactly 6.22 pm did anyone else see it I have never seen anything like it
PETE
18 May 2017
apparently there is evidence of a large meteorite impact in central Otago about 30 million years ago not on the Yucatan Peninsula scale but still pretty significant and cataclismic,can anyone add anything to this?
Mervyn Rodgers
18 April 2011
When I wintered-over at Scott Base from Dec 58-Jan 60, also at the base were members of an US expedition to traverse Victoria Land. They set off in late 59, went up the Skelton Glacier to the Plateau. [John Weihaupt, leader, Franz van de Hoeven (now at Delft Univ), Arnold Heine of NZ, Al Stuart, and others]. On this traverse they found some large gravity anomalies on which work continues, and they are currently dated mid 400,000 years ago. Subsequent cores have found non-terrestrial material about 100,000 times above normal, thus supporting the idea of an impact. The timing of this event is similar to the last magnetic reversal, and corresponds with a global warming event, not accompanied by CO2 increase. Current suggestions are of a collapse of the West Antarctic ice Sheet WAIS, producing sea levels >20m above present. How far south your NZ info panels go I don't know. Additionally, there are also records of a submarine bolide impact near Stewart Island, and this event would have produced local tsunami.