A flare spotted off the coast south of Palmerston on Saturday remains a mystery, despite a coastal search by helicopter.
The flare was seen by a motorist on State Highway 1 out to sea off the Flag Swamp inlet about 6pm.
A helicopter with a marine first response search and rescue crew searched an area off the coast from Karitane to Palmerston for about an hour and a-half, but found nothing.
Constable Stefan Witehira, of Palmerston, said yesterday there had been no reports of boats missing and the source of the flare remained a mystery.
