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A Bay of Plenty arborist shocked himself when he tried to get rid of unwanted explosives - and managed to blast a crater several metres deep, uproot a 25m tree and shake nearby houses.
Residents in Te Puke called emergency services on Saturday after the explosion shook the ground and let out a "great boom" heard 10km away.
Police confirmed the explosion was the result of a local arborist detonating unwanted explosives.
"There's nothing sinister in it," Constable Scott Merritt said yesterday. "I think it took him by surprise."
The arborist had detonated 30kg of Powergel, which he usually used to blast away tree stumps and had a licence to handle, burying it in the bush 500m from the road.
"He's done it properly but it's gone a little bit louder than expected."
It was not yet known whether the arborist would face charges, but police had determined the explosion happened on his property.
Christine Gibbons, who lives across the road, said the sound was scary.
"It was a very deep, loud boom and then the house shook and the ground shook, and I waited for something else to happen," she said.
Her husband thought a P lab might have exploded.
Mr Merritt was in the Te Puke police station, 7km away.
"It sounded like someone had tipped a table over."
Owen Wilson, 79, also heard the sound "loud and clear" from the centre of town.
"I was having a lie-in," he said. "The wife had brought me a cup of tea and then, 'Boom'."
People reported feeling the explosion as far away as No4 Rd, 10km across country.
A man at the property where it happened said he did not know who was responsible, but said loud sounds such as rifle fire were common in the area.
The man, who declined to give his name but was wearing a shirt labelled "tree specialist", said the explosion was "just one of the joys of living in the country".
