A bench made in New Zealand has washed up on Sydney's Cronulla Beach. Photo / Supplied
A bench made in New Zealand has washed up on Sydney's Cronulla Beach. Photo / Supplied
An outdoor bench made by a Whanganui business at least 25 years ago has survived months at sea to wash up on a Sydney beach in reasonable condition.
The curved hardwood bench came ashore on Cronulla Beach on May 10 and was photographed by James and Anna Markoja - James Markoja is a former New Zealander. It had a plaque stating its manufacturer, Ethan Outdoor Furniture.
The Markojas contacted general manager Simon Parson about their find, and he had an email about the same discovery two days later, from a Cronulla surfer.
"Thought you would be pleased to hear that one of your well-crafted garden seats has, it seems, made a successful crossing of the 'ditch' to arrive on Elouera Beach Cronulla NSW due to a huge swell," the email said.
The bench was encrusted with sealife and "pickled" by saltwater. It had been in the water at least six months, Parson said.
He was pleased to be contacted and hear it was still reasonably sound - but he was not surprised.
"A lot of our customers have still got furniture that's 30-plus years old. One of the services we offer is refurbishing it. When it's sanded and oiled it comes up like new again," he said.
Ethan Outdoor Furniture was started by Jonathan Parson in Auckland in 1983. It moved to Whanganui 25 years ago and is now run by his sons, Simon and Pete.
The bench was made by Ethan Outdoor Furniture, which has been based in Whanganui for 25 years. Photo / Supplied
A round table with curved benches around it is its "flagship" product, Parson said. Each bench has a brass and gold-plated plaque.
The plaque on the bench that washed up on Cronulla Beach gave Auckland as the place of manufacture - which means the bench is at least 25 years old.
As for where it has been, that has to be left to the imagination. It could have washed away from the west coast of northern New Zealand, or from the east coast of Australia.
"We do export to individual customers in Australia. It could have washed down the east coast of Australia in an easterly onshore storm," Parson said.
The furniture company also exports globally, especially to the United States and Europe. Its furniture features every year in London's Chelsea Flower Show.
It recently delivered furniture to clients in Abu Dhabi and to a historic five-level mansion in Manhattan, New York.
Its furniture is made out of iroko, a hardwood that is sustainably milled mainly in Ghana, on the west coast of Africa. It is very stable, doesn't splinter or leach and is also used in boat building.
Each piece is made with stainless fittings, marine glue and mortise-and-tenon joints.
"These are all quality features that are still used currently in manufacture, that meant the bench was fairly intact after its 25 years and ocean journey," Parson said.
