KEY POINTS:
A beacon which triggered a helicopter search over Nelson and Marlborough this evening has been located in a plane in a hangar in Paraparaumu north of Wellington.
"It's turned out to be a false alarm," a Rescue Coordination Centre NZ spokesman said.
High-flying aircraft had earlier received "hits"
from the beacon as they flew over the top of the South Island and bottom of the North Island.
A helicopter was deployed over Nelson-Marlborough, but the beacon was sourced to Paraparaumu a short time later.
- NZPA