A New Zealand couple who were renovating their humble cottage have uncovered what appears to be ritualistic markings on their floorboards.

The pair were replacing carpets in their house in Okura, on the North Island, when they discovered a five-pointed star and circle on their bedroom floors.

The discovery came as a bit of a shock to the couple, who have owned the villa for 30 years, and previously changed the carpets without noticing any markings.

The wife said she was surprised when her husband showed her the first floor marking after removing the old wall-to-wall rug

The wife told the New Zealand Herald she was surprised when her husband showed her the first floor marking after removing the old wall-to-wall rug.

But when he called her again after he found a second bizarre marking on the other bedroom floor, the woman said she was in complete shock.

'The strange thing is we've had our carpet laid three times ... and it hasn't been pointed out to us before but the first two times we weren't there,' the woman said.

The house was originally built in Saint Marys Bay, about a 30-minute drive from where it now stands, in 1904, before the couple relocated it to Okura, she said.

Curious to learn more about the origins of the house, the woman said she had reached out to Auckland Council with the address details.

Neither the woman nor her husband have strong religious views and are keen to uncover what the markings could potentially mean.

The couple also posted photos of the markings on Facebook on Tuesday and asked people to help clarify what they could possibly mean.

'There's no weird feeling or vibes or things like that it's just a normal family home with strange drawings on the floor we never knew about,' the woman said.

When the woman's husband called her again after he found a second bizarre marking on the other bedroom floor, she said she was in complete shock

'I believe there is something occult about it because we've all read or seen movies with those items described but I haven't had a chance to explore.'

While opinions varied from paganism to Satanism and Christian worship, a Haunted Auckland spokesperson left a comment that said the markings mean different things to various people.

'It's not a pentagram, it's a 5 pointed star. Used in many differing beliefs and communities,' the spokesperson wrote on Facebook.

'The Freemasons, Astrologers, the Babylonians, witches... I guess it depends on who lived there at the time.

'Could be ritualistic; could just be a neat design a previous owner put in for aesthetic or creative reasons. Only the artist knows,' the spokesperson wrote.