Update: MYSTERY SOLVED

The 100-metre long object that was washed up on Te Waewae Bay in western Southland last week has been identified and claimed by Huon Aquaculture, a salmon farming company in Tasmania.

The object found on the beach gathered a lot of interest, with stories about the long, black pipe making news around New Zealand, in Australia and the UK.

We received a huge number of suggestions from the public as to what it might have been, and how it could have gotten to Te Waewae Bay, Deputy Harbourmaster Ian Coard says.

Huon Aquaculture lost the pipe back in August when it broke free of a marine farm in Trumpter Bay, Tasmania. The company immediately launched a search involving a number of vessels and aircraft but it was not found until now.

Since the loss of the pipe Huon Aquaculture have moved to orange pipes to make them more visible and they also fit them with GPS tracking devices.

Huon Aquaculture is currently investigating options for retrieving the pipe.