It could be the worst bit of Chorus cabling since the infamous "fibre to the throne" UFB install that saw fibre brought into a home beside a toilet, or last year's ceiling monorail gaffe.
Geekzone member James Anderson-Pole was walking through Mangere when he saw three UFB fibre cables that emerged from the earth, snaked across a stretch of footpath, then descended underground again before emerging on the street.
He followed the cables as they dangled along the gutter for some 75 metres. Two of them terminated into the grass near an old Telecom pit, while the third just hung loose on the turf.
A fellow Geekzone member compared the quality of the job, unfavourably, to DIY cabling in slums overseas.
Consulting Google Maps, Anderson-Pole ascertained the footloose cabling situation had been in place since at least December last year - albeit originally with a couple of cones and a mini footbridge.
The Herald brought the photos to Chorus's attention this afternoon.
A spokeswoman said an "interim fix" will be in place by this evening.
"Our cable was damaged by a civil contractor and temporary fix put in place. We had intended to go back once the roadworks were complete," she said.
"But unfortunately the job appears to have got lost. We will get an interim solution in place tonight. A permanent solution is being drafted and will be deployed as soon as possible."
And the cable had just been hanging loose since last year?
"Unfortunately, yes," the Chorus spokeswoman said.