Suspected land mine only old hotplate

A tense situation involving an apparent land mine under a Mount Maunganui house was defused after Defence Force bomb disposal unit members identified the mystery object as an old and corroded hotplate.

A builder renovating the Oceanbeach Road house found the 25cm-diameter, 2.5cm-thick object about 10.30am with wires coming out of it, buried in sand under the house.

Police immediately cordoned off the area, called the bomb squad and evacuated the neighbourhood.

The Auckland-based explosives specialists arrived at the scene about 2pm, finding the object to be instead an old, asbestos-filled cooking appliance, Acting Senior Sergeant Craig Madden said.

- NZPA