Mystery of giant metal pole cemented into driveway is solved after New Zealand teacher was baffled by bizarre addition to her property
Mystery of giant metal pole cemented into driveway is solved after New Zealand teacher was baffled by bizarre addition to her property
- Huge metal pole appeared in NZ teacher’s driveway
- She had no idea how it got there or what its purpose was
The mystery of a giant metal pole that seemed to be stuck in a New Zealand teacher’s driveway without explanation has finally been solved.
Sophie Hucker of Tauranga came home from work last week to find the seven-foot-tall solid steel pole cemented into the ground, leading her to ask online if anyone could help identify what it was.
At first she thought it might be part of a basketball hoop that had been mis-delivered to her house because it was wrapped in plastic, but when she tried to move it and couldn’t, she was stunned.
She spent days trying to figure out what it was, frustrated that she couldn’t even swing it because it had square edges, finally concluding it was a trader’s mistake, though she was still baffled by its purpose.
But she revealed Tuesday afternoon that she finally had an answer — it was indeed a “tradie oopsie” and was in fact the anchor post for a gate to be installed at a house down the street.
When teacher Sophie Hucker (pictured) came home from school on Tuesday, she got a big surprise: she found a six-foot post bricked into her driveway
The “random gift” (pictured) appeared on the fourth anniversary of her ownership of the house
Ms Hucker said the company contacted her on Monday after they saw the story and thought it was funny, but then realized it was their job.
“They laughed about it and were baffled at how they managed to get it wrong,” Ms. Hucker told 1News.
She added the company, which she declined to name because they were nice about the confusion, sent a tradie over and the pole was removed by Monday evening.
“It’s kind of weird now that the pole’s gone,” she joked.
The mystery sparked a wave of social media reaction and made headlines before Ms. Hucker discovered the answer.
The Taurunga City Council even got on board to search building approvals and CCTV, but to no avail.
She had wondered if it was a “random gift” as it appeared on the fourth anniversary of her ownership of the house, but her mother thought it might be an elaborate joke.
The teacher said she had always doubted that theory because it would be very expensive and a lot of effort.
The company that made the mistake filled the hole with cement and will return to finish the surface to match the rest of the driveway.
They also kept the pole after it was removed, though there was no word on whether it will be reused in its original intended destination.
The company has since removed the post and filled in the driveway (pictured)