I happened to be at the holding point and witnessed the landing of the 747 freighter (Atlas with an Air NZ callsign). It was a typical Rwy 27 landing in that he got caught out just like everyone else has on 27 (including me).
The problem with 27 is that it is downsloping runway with the threshold shielded from strong northerlies by hills to the north. Usually the approach looks fine down to around 100 feet or so, then you get a slight overshoot shear approaching the flare causing your aim point to drift down the runway, then you do a 'normal' subconscience flare - but the runway is falling away from you and there you go floating down the runway losing air speed. About that time you enter 'clean' air from the north and you start drifting towards the southern edge of the runway. Suddenly the far end of the runway is not that far away at all and you are approaching your last touchdown point. So you lower the nose to get the aircraft on the runway - that combined with bleeding airspeed and sideways drift makes for an undignified landing and smartarse comments from F/As and pax.
Thats exactly what happened to the freighter yesterday. He touched down hard approaching taxiway A with considerable sideways drift. The landing generates heaps of smoke (we thought he had blown some tyres at first) and he used every last foot of the runway pulling up (presumably with max braking). I'm not surprised that he developed some brake fires.