Meteor 4th May 1888
Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 1889
Description of a Meteor, of 4th May, 1888 by Taylor WHITE

Read before the Hawke's Bay Philosophical Institute 8 Jul 1889

... visible at Wimbledon, Hawke's Bay between 8 and 9pm...

The shortness of time allowed for inspection makes it difficult
to fix certain points as to the position of blue and green bands
showing in the tail or streamers... The nucleus, or head, was
of oval form, of a transparent light-yellow colour, as of iron
at a white-heat. The tail was in the form of the tail of a
pheasant expanded - that is, the two centre streamers were of
uniform length, and the outer ones, gradually shortening, so
the outermost streamer on either side was very much shorter than
those in the middle. These streamers were of a dull, opaque
orange. They were distinctly divided each from each by dark bands
which consisted of several fine black lines, to, probably, the
number of five in each band. I am unable to fix the number of
orange streamers, but would guess ten as probably correct.
As the colours blue and green were certainly present, I place
them outside the orange streamers - say a band of green next the
outermost orange streamer on each side, and beyond, again, a
band of blue.

The head was distinctly outlined and of only the one colour; the
tail almost perpendicular, and looking along it was as looking
up a ladder. No sound was audible when the meteor was in view,
but after I had gone into the house, and was describing what
I had seen, the sound of its striking the earth or sea was heard
- a loud and lengthened noise, to me like the violent shaking
of all the forest trees, and evidently above ground, thereby
differing from the sound accompanying an earthquake - coming from
the westward; and this was followed, after a hardly perceptible
interval, by a fainter sound, like an echo, to the north-east.

The time which elapsed till the sound was heard was from three
to five minutes. The direction of flight was from east to west,
looking southerly.

Roughly speaking, I should say the line of flight was a little
to the south of a line drawn between Herbertville, on the east
coast, to Foxton, on the opposite coast.

Newspaper accounts

Waipawa Mail, 5 May 1888
Hawke's Bay Herald, 7 May 1888
New Zealand Times, 8 May 1888
Canterbury Times, 11 May 1888
New Zealand Mail, 11 May 1888