Thousands of sci-fi fans were captivated by an Omokoroa man's homemade Dalek which attracted an astronomical following on Trade Me.
Dave Logan never thought his replica alien would generate so much attention.
The life-size replica of a Dalek, copied from the television show Doctor Who, finally sold for $2500 - but not before notching up about 20,000 page views on Trade Me.
A stunned Mr Logan said more than 600 people had added the auction to their watchlist.
The auction closed on Sunday and the Dalek sold for $2500, which was Mr Logan's reserve price.
He said he would have liked to have received more for it.
"I think I was expecting to attract some hardcore Doctor Who fans but that didn't really happen."
Mr Logan said he was amazed at the attention the auction had received.
"It was far greater than I expected."
Apart from the big following, he also received dozens of wacky comments from potential buyers and Doctor Who fans. "The conversations have been great fun. All sorts of people have left various comments."
"I am quite disappointed to get rid of it but I can always build another one."
He added: "Now I know how to do it I can do it quicker and probably better."