The 767-300 was about to land in Auckland when the pilot told passengers there was a problem with the flaps and they should be prepared for an emergency landing.
Flight 106 circled over the city for some time before another announcement that the crew had been able to partially fix the problem and the landing would no longer be classified as an emergency.
The flight was nearing an end on Tuesday when passengers were told to read the safety information cards from the seat pockets and be prepared to brace themselves properly, The New Zealand Herald reported today.
There was no panic, but "everybody was very quiet and rather concerned", said passenger Kevin Donovan.
He said it was obvious something was going on because the flight circled for some time.
The pilot then made the announcement "something is up" and everyone went quiet.
"He said they couldn't open the flaps, and although that wasn't going to cause a problem with the landing, the landing was going to be extremely high speed, therefore it was an emergency landing situation."
The airline said the flaps had failed to extend during the approach to Auckland.
A switch was replaced and the 767 was back in service.
