A prominent Wellington wind sculpture has been split apart by lightning in a brief storm this afternoon.
The tall orange needle called the 'Zephyrometer' had recently been reinstalled after a refurbishment.
The moment the lightning hit, it split the top of the sculpture that has stood near the waterfront on Cobham Dr for 11 years.
"I saw the needle thing explode and it sounded like a real big bomb," says witness Kosta Pantelis. "There was smoke and it was real scary, and everybody started screaming."
A video was posted on YouTube and sent to the Wellington City Council, which owns the sculpture.
"[It is] obviously a real shame for the artist, but these things happen, an act of god or an act of nature," says parks manager Paul Andrews.
The area around the sculpture was showered with pieces of singed fibreglass.
The Christchurch sculptor, Phil Price, is currently overseas. His colleague estimates it could cost as much as $300,000 to replace.
"We're expecting it to be covered by insurance," says Mr Andrews.
A southerly gale blew through Wellington just after 2pm bringing hail, thunder and lightning and causing the temperature to plummet from 11degC to just 5degC.
The 26m-long needle had recently been reinstalled after spending weeks in Christchurch being refurbished.
"It is a one-off and whether we'd replicate it exactly the same again, I'm not too sure," says Mr Andrews.
The sculpture will be removed tomorrow to be assessed by insurers. The council says it will work with the Wellington Sculpture Trust to install a replacement.
3 News
source: newshub archive
