A spectacular meteor-like object spotted off the west coast of New Zealand last night was also seen over Whitianga's skyline.

A Whitianga Facebook chat group had people commenting on what the sighting might have been – from someone thinking a plane had crashed at the airport, to a big, bright flash mistaken for lightning.

A spectacular meteor-like object was sppoted in the skies over Whitianga last night.

One comment referred to a light being on spotted the western horizon.

Multiple calls were made to police stations throughout the country about a bright light in the sky, at about 6.30pm, say police.

NZ Police's Wellington-based central communications shift commander Andy Dow says varying colours were given.

'Some people say it was white, others say it was green; and another person reported it being an unusual blue colour,” says Andy.

Wellington Police received calls from Tawa, Paremata, Porirua, Paraparaumu and Paekakariki; and there was a report of a shooting star that came in from Christchurch.

There were also about 100 postings on the WeatherWatch website describing sightings of the 'meteor” over New Zealand's western areas from Auckland to Wanaka.

Stuff reports sightings over the Nelson region. Richmond woman Sharee Dowdall described the object as a 'very colourful, green, yellow, blue trail and orange head that appeared to ‘spark' with an explosion at the end”.

A Christchurch woman told Stuff the fireball looked like it was flying past her window. She posted it on Facebook and a friend in Alaska says they also saw it.