Modern Mysteries

Mystery bang rocks Tauranga, New Zealand

By T.K. Randall
May 28, 2017

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) Described by some witnesses as a "sonic boom", the tremendous bang was widely reported by residents after it shook windows and upset pets across Tauranga.

"The house rattled, it was extremely loud, almost like it was in my backyard," said Brookfield resident Roderick Davison who recalled how the noise had woken him up in the middle of the night.The local Tauranga Weather Facebook group ended up swamped with people asking about the incident with some speculating that it could have been a meteor or some sort of weapons test.

According to MetService meteorologist Peter Little however, the noise was most likely the result of a nearby thunderstorm and in particular, a triple lightning strike that had caused a single loud boom.

"It shocked a lot of people out of bed and created some mystery because there was just the one bang," he said. "But it's not uncommon for thunderstorms."

Source: New Zealand Herald

Tags: Boom, Bang