A mysterious plane had phones running red hot in towns north of Whangarei on Thursday night.
Newshub was sent video of a low-flying aircraft above the sea just off the coast of Pātaua in the early evening.
And it wasn't just residents who were investigating the mystery.
The New Zealand Rescue Coordination Centre (NZRCC) told Newshub an unregistered emergency position-indicating radio beacon with no refined position was activated.
"It was somewhere in the Whangarei area with a 20-mile error," an NZRCC spokesperson said.
An RNZAF P3 Orion offered to investigate on its way back to Whenuapai - which was the low-flying aircraft that had intrigued locals.
The location was narrowed down to Ngunguru.
"Subsequently we received a GPS position around the same time which confirmed the location," the NZRCC said.
The device had accidentally activated and was found at a local's house.
