A giant squid that washed up dead on the beach of Wellington's Houghton Bay on Saturday morning has been carried back out to sea by the tide.
Throngs of people came to see the creature, which was about three metres long and half a metre wide.
A member of Te Papa's education team, Emma Best, says it was a great opportunity for children to get close to an animal that's rarely seen.
Te Papa says the squid had visible bite marks and may have been attacked by other sea creatures, though they can just die of old age and then wash up on beaches.
The Department of Conservation says the beak was removed in order to determine the squid's age.