Bomb sat in underwear drawer

A bomb that forced the evacuation of more than 100 people from their homes sat in its owner's underwear drawer for three years before he decided to get rid of it.

Former Auckland Museum employee Simon Rowlinson, 35, said he pondered several disposal methods before contacting police.

"I decided I didn't want anyone to get hurt by it and chucking it in the rubbish wasn't exactly the best plan," he told the Herald from his parents' Mt Albert home.

Counties-Manukau Police were alerted to the device in Mr Rowlinson's abandoned blue Toyota Hilux Surf on Princes St East in Otahuhu about 5.30pm on Tuesday, and cordoned off the area.

Residents from 50 homes along the street and nearby Brady Rd were cleared out before the car was towed two hours later.

Meanwhile, Mr Rawlinson sat in another vehicle nearby after phoning police, and bolted when the first patrol car arrived.

He said he thought about throwing it into the sea, but being "a good clean, green Kiwi" didn't want to harm the environment.

"So I spoke to police about it and we came to an arrangement that I would leave it in this vehicle and let police know where it was and I kept an eye on this vehicle until they showed up."

But police spokeswoman Ana-Mari Gates-Bowey denied the deal, saying police "would never advise something so dangerous. We hadn't spoken to anyone about it before we were alerted to it [the bomb] by a source at 5.30pm".

She did not rule out charges, saying "the investigation is continuing".

It all started three years ago when Mr Rawlinson had the bomb commissioned after his car and several motorbikes were stolen by "gangsters". It had sat in his underwear drawer ever since, he said.

He decided if he couldn't have the vehicles "nobody could" and got in touch with a "rocket scientist" he knew, intending to blow them up.

"I said to the contact between us, you know those toys your mates have been making, can you make me a bigger one?" And $1000 later he owned the device, which police described as "similar to a firecracker".

Mr Rawlinson said it was a "six inches long by an inch and a half cylinder with a fuse and no metal parts".

But after the bomb was made he "quite wisely changed my mind" and it sat idle until this week. Mr Rawlinson said he was trying to do the right thing and turn his life around.