A man who claims he "found" a 250kg century-old Maori carving on a dirt road – which took six police officers to lift - was considering selling the historical artefact before police raided his home.
The stone-carved monument, with major cultural and tribal historical significance, had earlier been stolen from the Kaiapoi Pā, 30km north of Christchurch – once the Ngai Tahu tribe's largest and most important stronghold after migrating from the North Island.
It was also the site of a bloody 1831 massacre carried out by Ngati Toa chief Te Rauparaha – the "Napoleon of the Southern Hemisphere".
