Missing buoy phones home after setting sail

A monitoring buoy lost off Dunedin has started phoning home - from Kaikoura.

The buoy monitors water quality and is one of 18 floating off coastlines around New Zealand and Australia.

This one slipped its tether near Dunedin on Christmas Eve, floated up the east coast of the South Island and is now somewhere along the Kaikoura coast. A $500 reward has been offered for its return.

The buoy, owned by Nelson-based environmental consultancy firm Water and Atmosphere Information, weighs about 50kg and is worth about $12,000.

- NZPA

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