"The lady working for MPI who was directing people said, 'It's a rodent.' So I said it wasn't a rodent, it was a stoat," Baddiley told Stuff.co.nz.
Baddiley said she is familiar with stoats, weasel-like mustelids, thanks to an educational presentation from a local zip lining company.
"I got to the counter and handed over my customs card to the man behind the counter and told him that what I was declaring was probably the least of his worries because there was a stoat running around," she said.
Baddiley said the stoat disappeared behind a "Customs Only" door.
A Biosecurity New Zealand representative confirmed the animal's presence inside the airport.
"The airport company has notified us that an animal resembling a stoat or weasel was spotted in the arrivals area by their security cameras last night," the representative told 1News. "The animal likely made its way into the precinct from surrounding land. There is nothing to suggest the animal came from an arriving traveler or baggage."
The representative said the airport has been in contact with a pest control service to search the building for the animal.
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