Five years ago, sculptor Graham Bennett lost one his finest works. The unique piece, owned by rich-lister Philip Carter, cost $100,000 to install.
But the one-off work of art disappeared under tonnes of rock when the cliff above Sumner collapsed in the Christchurch June earthquake almost five years ago.
And then last week, a cliff stabilisation crew spotted something silver poking out of the rubble. The giant seven metre sculpture had been discovered, crushed under a pile of rubble.
"We just picked it up as gently as we could with the remote digger, and then just rolled it down the hill," says Protranz digger operator Vaughan Breen. "It's all we could do really, no one's allowed in there to get it."
The stainless steel design is barely recognisable after its ordeal.
"To see it all buckled, and mangled, and really, like a piece of tinfoil -- it's quite interesting," says Mr Bennett.
Damaged beyond repair, the sculpture has now been gifted to the Canterbury Museum, where it will be the biggest piece in their earthquake collection.
"It's also a lot bigger than what we were thinking at first, so there will be some challenges around displaying it safely," says Canterbury Museum director Anthony Wright.
Mr Bennett is hoping people will still see the beauty in the design, which was inspired by the inlets into the Avon Heathcoat estuary.
"I'd like to think that people could see that it's more than just the wrecked thing and some idea of what's behind it all," he says.
A once forgotten personal treasure has been unearthed for everyone to enjoy.
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