Waimata Valley, NZ being encounter — December 8, 1977

The December8, 1977 Waimata Valley entry concerns a solitary roadside figure, rather than the better-known dog-taking story reported from the area on December2. A man passing through the Gisborne region said he saw an approximately145-centimetre figure wearing a silver suit and bright red boots. The abbreviated Hatch version says it waved toward passing cars. A New Zealand entity catalogue printed in the November1982 MUFON UFO Journal gives no helmet, while a later Rosales-derived version adds one, places the sighting around19:00 near Mandera Road and says the figure stood partly concealed by bushes. Those descriptions cannot establish the same precise appearance. The reconstruction follows the older published no-helmet version, keeping the head and face indistinct rather than supplying an unsupported alien portrait. The anonymous motorist reportedly continued driving; no close inspection, conversation or physical trace was recovered for this particular encounter. Contemporary regional interest in UFOs provides context, not a craft that can be placed beside this figure. The December2 farmer’s account includes a saucer, two suited figures, a dog and gunfire, all of which belong to a different reported episode. Keeping them separate prevents a short roadside observation from becoming a dramatic composite. This remains an unverified figure report with a clear disagreement about headgear and limited witness documentation.