A statue of Hindu deity Ganesha has mysteriously appeared on an Auckland Council barbecue pit in St Heliers Bay.
A local resident who was walking his dog saw the statue and thought it had been put there as a decorative ornament by the council.
"I thought it was a bit odd that the council was using a religious statue," he said.
Ganesha is easily identified because of his elephant head, and is one of the best-known and most worshipped Hindu deities.
Simon Randall, the council's acting head of operational management and maintenance said the statue wasn't placed there by the council.