A rare giant squid has washed up on Farewell Spit at the top of the South Island.
Tour operator Jock Lill says one of his company's drivers found the 200kg, 3.6m creature near Lagoon Creek.
The Department of Conservation sent the squid to the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
(Niwa) to find out if there was anything unusual about it.
Niwa scientist Steve O'Shea thinks the squid was the victim of a fishing net because it was white, which suggests it had lost skin, and because hoki fishermen were in the area.
Nearly 60 giant squid have been caught in commercial fishing nets, but it is rare for one to be found ashore.
Mr O'Shea says the squid migrate to New Zealand waters to breed and like it here because it is a very productive area of the sea. The squid live 500m down.
