Unidentified object on Southland beach

A 100 metre long object has washed up on Te Waewae Bay in western Southland this week, and no one seems to know what it is or who it belongs to.

The object has been washed onto the beach with an incoming tide and we are very keen on some help figure out what it is, Deputy Harbourmaster Ian Coard says.

The object is long, black, made of some kind of plastic and has metal loops in each end. We've been to check it out today and attempted to move it with a couple of people, but it didn't want to budge, he says.

Environment Southland was notified of the object earlier this week by a local constable and the concern now is identifying it, locating an owner and getting it above the tide line so it doesn't become a navigational hazard.

People are encouraged to share their ideas on what this could be on Environment Southland's Facebook page or email them to service@es.govt.nz.