Police find removed fossil after search warrant at West Coast property

The mouth of the Little Wanganui River, West Coast. Photo / Google Maps

Police have today recovered “a locally treasured whale fossil” that was taken from the beach of a small town in the South Island.

A spokesperson said police carried out a search warrant at a property in Granity on Monday morning, where they found the fossil at the address.

“Inquiries into the removal of the fossil are ongoing and no charges have been laid at this stage,” a statement from police said.

West Coast authorities were investigating the alleged theft of the fossil after it was taken from the mouth of Little Wanganui River over Labour Weekend.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service reports the fossil, estimated to be 23 million years old, had been removed from the mouth of the Little Whanganui River, near Karamea.

On Sunday, Little Wanganui residents confronted a man and two women using a rocksaw and chisel to cut it from the riverbank.

The trio alleged they had permission, and then took off with the large piece of rock-like material in a boat. It’s unclear if the removal was illegal.

Police said they will continue to work with their partner agencies and iwi to return the taonga to the local Karamea community.