A handmade giant 'pokeball' helmet that survived a seven-hour scooter safari from Christchurch to Hokitika is now up for sale on Trade Me.
Christchurch man Mike O'Connell spent around 30 hours building it. It's made from as many as seven layers of paper mache around a beach ball and an extra layer of fibre glass to help it survive the wet West Coast weather.
(Mike O'Connell / Trade Me)
(Mike O'Connell / Trade Me)
It was an idea he hoped would attract attention by being "big and spectacular".
(Mike O'Connell / Trade Me)
"Six weeks ago when I registered for the safari, PokemonGo was all the rage on the news and I thought 'I need a costume and that was just boom right there I'm going as that, I'm going as a giant pokeball'."
Despite the gruelling trip to the West Coast, he says the costume actually helped riding over the hills."I found myself quite aerodynamic. I could curl up in ball and lower myself into the scooter and it actually made it probably a little bit quicker."
O'Connell was among 250 scooter riders that rode in the bi-annual Tranz Alpine Scooter Safari, which set off over the Alpine Pass on Saturday. It's the fifth year it has run and is raising money for the Cancer Foundation.
Most riders and scooters were adorning a variety of costumes, from biohazard suits to fairy wings.
O'Connell's costume is now being bid for on TradeMe to raise more money towards the charity.
Newshub.
