A $100 watermelon has horrified Kiwis and made worldwide news - but it might not be quite as insane as it sounds.
The infamous watermelon was spotted by shopper Megan Robinson at a Farro grocery store in Auckland.
Robinson posted a photo of the watermelon to Twitter joking she was thinking about a fruit salad but decided to reconsider.
Needless to say, it shocked and horrified social media users with one person asking whether the fruit was full of gold coins.
And the price didn't just catch Kiwis off guard with the Daily Mail labelling the price as "insane".
The whopping watermelon weighed in at 10 kgs, part of the reason it was so costly.
Farro said the cost was because the fruit is out of season and was shipped from Australia.
And while the watermelon's price might seem eye-watering, it's not so crazy when compared to other fruits. For example, 10kgs of peaches at Pak'nSave will set you back $90 as will 10kgs of green seedless grapes.
Fresh peaches weren't available online at Countdown or New World but green grapes were going for $7.50 a kg at Countdown or $75 for 10kgs. Meanwhile, at New World they were a whopping $9.99 a kg or $99.90 for 10kgs.
But seasonal fruits were available cheaper, for example green kiwifruit were available for $3.75 a kg at Countdown or $37.50 for 10kgs. New World had kiwifruit even cheaper at $2.99 a kg or $29.90 for 10kgs and Pak'nSave had green kiwifruit for just $1.99 per kg or just $19.90 for 10kgs.
Consumer NZ Gemma Rasmussen told NZ Herald while $100 is a lot for a fruit, it could be justified given it is out of season.
"$100 seems like a lot to pay for a watermelon, but given they are out of season, and shipping costs have been on the rise, the cost could be justified. Ultimately it's up to consumers to set the limit for what they're willing to pay for an item," Rasmussen told NZ Herald.
It was a view backed by National's Chris Penk who said the watermelon was "pretty good value" compared to other items such as cheese.
"Pretty good value compared with Tasty cheese, building supplies and reports on bike bridges," Penk tweeted.
And he's not wrong 10kgs of Mainland Tasty cheese would cost a whopping $240 at Countdown, around $220 at New World and $179.90 at Pak'nSave.
