Resident floats Papamoa Log for food parcel charity

Rosalie Crawford (left) and Kate Percy on the Papamoa Log near Harrisons Cut which is for sale on Trade Me. Photo / John Borren

The Papamoa log is for sale - but claiming it could be an expensive exercise for the buyer.

Listed on Trade Me on Sunday night the Papamoa Log was listed with a reserve of $1 on the popular online sales site.

As of 10am today, it had made $22 for charity.

Trade Me user demijayde1992 stated in the questions and answers section: ''i made a bid, purely to help people who are struggling, I had no intention of actually claiming it lol, but this is such a great idea. come on locals get behind this fundraiser.''

Found along the shoreline in Papamoa it comes and goes with the tides says the log's seller Rosalie Crawford.

Ms Crawford, who operates the local Facebook page Papamoa, New Zealand, said the log had become a legend in the area.

"The famous Papamoa Log, which has its own hashtag #papamoalog, has become iconic on Papamoa Beach.

"Sometimes it disappears overnight or even for a few nights. Where it goes nobody knows, probably out to see the littlest blue penguin Pooper on Rabbit Island or to float over the Rena wreck, but then it's back, much to the delight of children and parents who come to take ussies and selfies.

"When we started posting up photos of the Papamoa Log people got so excited, 'oh it's back, the Papamoa Log is back' and one family said they had their photo taken with the Papamoa Log 10 years ago - of course it's not the original log, we don't worry about that - the log is back."

Ms Crawford said she thought it would be fun to sell the log on Trade Me although she did not own the log or know where it came from.

The log was unique, a piece of nature, she said.

"On the weekend someone had taken this wonderful photo of a horse riding along the beach and I looked at it and the Papamoa Log is photo bombing the photo."

Tauranga City Council communications advisor Marcel Currin said there could be Resource Management Act and cultural restrictions that would have to be taken in account if somebody wanted to remove the log from the beach.

Getting the log off the beach, via the beach would not be an option for removal if the sale was taken seriously, he said.

Mr Currin said the buyer would probably have to hire a barge and drag the log back into the ocean. "Only authorised vehicles could be on the beach, it immediately poses a whole lot of difficulties in terms of appeasing all of the appropriate environmental controls." Proceeds from the sale would be used to to help fund Papamoa Link to get food parcels to struggling families.

-To check out the auction head to: trademe.co.nz/antiques-collectables/other/auction-899706279.htm