Vandals have smashed and stolen equipment being used to build the only purpose-built outdoor canoe polo facility in the Southern Hemisphere.
The vandalism was discovered by project manager Matt Saunders , a keen canoe polo player himself, on Monday morning when he arrived at Mitre 10 Park near Hastings.
A next-to-new digger had smashed windows, and several batteries from various other vehicles had been stolen from the site at what was formerly known as the Hawke's Bay Regional Sports Park.
The project has been a labour of love for Canoe Polo Hawke's Bay, the group having put in 650 volunteer hours into getting the project ready for its February opening.
Saunders said in some ways having volunteers would lessen the financial blow from the vandalism, but it would disrupt their tight schedule.