© ReutersLightning was seen in the distance, behind the aircraft
The scene involving an Airbus A380 was seen at 15:30 (02:30 GMT) by a pilot from Garden City Helicopters.
"The view out our window onto the tarmac today!" the company wrote on Facebook. "The Emirates plane [was] waiting for the storm to pass."
MetService New Zealand had issued thunderstorm warnings for the area.
Parts of the Canterbury region suffered severe storms, with hailstones the size of eggs in places, local media report.
Comment: And in Australia just a few days ago:
Local MP Andrew Falloon filmed large hailstones falling outside his office in Timaru.
MetService also tweeted that the area saw 700 lightning strikes in the space of two hours.
The weather warnings have now been lifted.
Comment: See also:
- Lightning bolt kills 3 school children in Zimbabwe
- Photographer has close shave as lightning strikes
- 210,000 lightning strikes recorded in Sweden this year, a six-fold increase on 2017
- Rare ball lightning caught on video in Siberian city
- 100,000 lightning strikes recorded across France in 12 hours
For insight into just what's occurring on our planet, check out SOTT radio's: Behind the Headlines: Earth changes in an electric universe: Is climate change really man-made?