KEY POINTS:
Hand grenades, knuckledusters, knives and live explosives are being seized from people leaving Auckland International Airport.
Security officers have a large arsenal seized from passengers trying to board flights in recent weeks.
Knives, fireworks, butane gas and other dangerous goods such as car batteries are confiscated daily but the unusual finds were three grenades and a crossbow pistol.
Many of the items seized at the airport can be taken on domestic flights. Passengers and luggage are screened on flights of 90 or more people, but smaller flights go unchecked.
But airport security is being reviewed after the arrest of Blenheim woman Asha Ali Abdille, who allegedly hijacked an Eagle Air flight from Blenheim to Christchurch eight days ago.
Abdille is alleged to have pulled out a knife on the flight, causing a scuffle in which the pilot, co-pilot and a passenger were injured.
The Government is looking into whether the risk of such incidents is great enough to extend passenger screening to the smaller domestic flights.
Peter Pilley of the Aviation Security Service told the Herald his Auckland staff were amazed by the types of things people tried to get on to flights.
While many items such as tools were innocently carried, they posed a risk in the air.
Other items were not so innocuous and led to charges, including one man who was caught about three years ago trying to board an international flight with a large knife strapped to one leg.
Mr Pilley said other confiscated items included a rifle silencer, police-type batons, handcuffs, replica weapons, a meat cleaver in a woman's handbag, and a butterfly knife - something not even allowed in New Zealand.
"People have it in their bags, people have it on their person.
"We take several hundred items a day at Auckland and that's based on probably an average of 8000 to 12,000 passengers departing, depending on the day."
An elderly lady once tried to take three hand grenades which belonged to her son on a flight to Queensland.
On Wednesday a person was caught carrying live .303 ammunition.
But the most unusual weapon Mr Pilley had seen was a replica medieval ball and chain with spikes.
