A floating pontoon from a campground near Nelson that washed up hundreds of kilometres away on a South Taranaki beach, will soon be on its way home after it was discovered by a whitebaiter.
The pontoon from Quinney's Bush Camp, south of Nelson, washed up the Motupiko River and floated up the sea to South Taranaki Photo: SUPPLIED
The pontoon, nicknamed Mark's Ark, was a feature at Quinney's Bush Camp, south of Nelson, where it floated in the Motupiko River.
Operations manager Andrew Quinney said the ark, along with a diving platforrm and slide, were washed down the river during heavy rainfall and flooding on 17 July.
During the summer, the pontoon floated in the Motupiko River, connected by a chain to a nearby poplar tree. In winter, it was lifted out of the water and put on top of the stopbank away from the river.
"This year the flood was so massive it has taken out the land that it was sitting on and the tree it was connected to as well so all of that has just gone down the river.
"All the land it was on has just completely eroded away."
The ark had been gone for close to a month and was assumed to be lost forever.
So an email from South Taranaki truck driver Daniel Gavin on Sunday night saying he found it came as a surprise.
Rachael Muggeridge and Daniel Gavin with their sons Eddie and Floyd Gavin Photo: SUPPLIED
Gavin had been down to the beach with his two-year-old son to check out the river on Saturday ahead of whitebaiting season, when he discovered the pontoon washed up near the Oeo Stream, just south of Opunake.
His first thought was that it would make a good pontoon at a nearby waterskiing spot, but so much time and effort had gone into building the ark, he wanted to see if he could find its owner.
He took a few photos the following day and posted them on the NZ Fishing Community Facebook page. Within 10 minutes, someone said it came from Quinney's Bush Camp.
He Googled the camp's location and upon realising how far away it was, asked the person if they were sure, to which they said they were "100 per cent sure".
Several others confirmed the ark had come from Quinney's, so he sent the campground an email.
"I've done a bit of investigating there, it's come anywhere from 30 to 40 kilometres down a river and about 220 kilometres in a straight line out the river mouth to where it landed on the beach where I was whitebaiting."
Quinney said the solid ark, which had been built by his father, must have been carried down the Motupiko River, into the Motueka River and out into Tasman Bay and across the Cook Strait.
"It's amazing that it washed up all the way on a Taranaki beach, we thought it would be maybe along the Motueka River or out in Tasman Bay but never up that far."
He said from the photos he had seen, the ark appeared to be all in one piece and in good condition, other than its flag being slightly bent. They were keen to reinstate it in the river, come summer.
Taranaki company Campbell Contracting had salvaged the ark from the beach and Grid Share Tasman had offered to transport it back to the campground.
Gavin said it was now on his bucket list to visit the Quinney's Bush Camp to see Mark's Ark back in its original spot in the Motupiko River.
"I'm proud it is going back to its rightful owner, a lot of effort has been put into building it so I am sure he will be ecstatic when he gets it back."