Auckland's iconic Santa has been spotted travelling through Taupō as he's transported in "bits" down to Wanaka to begin retirement at the Transport and Toy Museum.
Museum owner Jason Rhodes says the Santa is "due to catch the ferry later today" and will arrive in Wanaka by the weekend.
Motorists and truckies have spotted the giant Santa passing through the outskirts of Hamilton and Taupō following its departure from Auckland at 3am Wednesday.
His former owner, Heart of the City, confirmed to Newshub it was costing "over $200,000 a year to maintain and insure Santa" who was an integral part of Auckland's Christmas scene for six decades.
"He needed some TLC so that's why he has retired."
First installed in 1960 on the Farmers building on Hobson St the 19-metre statue polarised Aucklanders.
In 2011 he was named as the world's most unintentionally creepy Christmas decoration by Cracked.com.
An attempt to retire him in 2014 was met with backlash by the public and a number of companies banded together to keep him going.
