A wave buoy found lying near the high tide line on Papamoa beach early in the morning this morning.
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council retrieved the buoy and stated it would assess its condition to determine when, or if, the buoy could be reattached and how much damage was sustained when it broke loose and was washed ashore.
Data services manager Glenn Ellery said it was the first time the buoy had broken free from its mooring since it was first put into operation in 2005.
"The buoy is normally attached to an elastic bungy-type mooring line allowing it to move up and down in the ocean in response to waves. The solar-powered buoy stopped communicating with us on Wednesday afternoon and at the time we had wave heights of six to seven metres, so it was pretty rough out there," Mr Ellery said.
"We were fortunate to have it wash up where it did on a soft sandy beach. We were even more fortunate that a conscientious member of the public called it in as soon as they saw it. It has allowed us to retrieve the buoy and try and get it repaired and back in service."