It was New Year's Day, 1979, when the world awoke to the news that strange lights had been spotted by six people on a plane off the New Zealand's South Island.
An eerie flight over Kaikoura on which footage of an unidentified flying object was filmed will be recreated for the 40-year anniversary.
On December 30 and 31, two pilots and a news crew spotted the strange activity.
The pilots were doing a usual newspaper run between Wellington and Christchurch, while the passengers had jumped onboard the Safe Air Argosy freight plane, the Merchant Enterprise, after hearing about unexplained lights seen by pilots 10 days before.
One was a mango farmer in Hawaii while another is an 80-year-old newlywed after her royal-wedding themed nuptials at her retirement home the night before Meghan and Harry's big day in May.
The decommissioned Argosy now sits on land near Marlborough Airport owned by Blenheim filmmaker Paul Davidson.
He purchased the 24-seater aircraft in 1991 after hearing it was to be scrapped, telling the Safe Air general manager he would pay what he would have got from the scrap dealer.
The aircraft had special meaning to him - in 2009, he made a documentary, The Kaikoura UFOs, featuring interviews with the pilots and crew from 1978.
Davidson, whose home is on land adjacent to the aircraft, has restored and refurbished the plane and runs flight simulation experiences, complete with inflight movies telling the story of Safe Air - and meals.
A copy of the New Zealand Herald in January, 1979
Passengers can dine at the Argosy Cafe, next to the plane, which acts as a terminal where they can also collect their boarding passes and go to their gate for the experience. There is also memorabilia on display.
From Thursday, to coincide with the first strange sighting, Davidson will be running a UFO-themed experience.
His documentary will be screened, lights will be dimmed onboard and a "spooky atmosphere created.
The plane sits opposite Davidson's home. Photo / Tim Cuff
"People can sit in [the] actual seat Captain Startup sat in," he said.
"It's the only place in the world where you can do that."
So, does Davidson believe in UFOs?
"I believe in the possibility of them," he said.
Davidson in the cockpit. Photo / Tim Cuff
"I got to know both pilots with my documentary. They got sick of people saying, 'It was probably the lights of cars, or lights of squid boats'. These were professional pilots. 'We know what Venus looks like, this was not Venus'.
"Everyone on board has said the event had a traumatic effect on their lives."
