The meteor that lit up the skies over Wellington on Thursday probably broke up above the sea off the east coast of Blenheim, experts say.
It crashed through the Earth's atmosphere on Thursday afternoon and scientists immediately set about working out where, or if, it landed.
"If we can get enough reports from across the country, we can actually triangulate the position and its path across the sky - and figure out if it actually landed and, if so, where it might have landed," said Otago Museum director Ian Griffin.
Fireballs Aotearoa, a collaboration of scientists from the Universities of Otago and Canterbury, now believe they've tracked the meteor.
"Available data indicate that the #NZmeteor probably fragmented above the sea east of Blenheim," the group said on Twitter. "So, unless you are a deep water creature, we're probably not finding this one. But more witness records would help geolocate it!"
Fireballs has projected the meteor's trajectory, believing it travelled from southeast Wellington to the east of Blenheim.
"This is from eyewitness reports, but more will help us see where it may be. Note that with more reports, the location appears to be getting closer to land," it said.
Experts have said daytime meteor sightings are extremely rare.
"In my lifetime I've only ever seen one daytime meteor," space scientist Duncan Steel said.
"To be seen during the daytime it would need to be quite large, something the size of a rugby ball or bigger - that's what makes them rare. The shooting stars you see at night are typically about the size of a grape," Dr Steel added.
