Vandals decapitate statue in Opo memorial attack

The vandelised Opo Statue. Photo / Supplied

Residents in Opononi are upset after the Northland town's famous statue of Opo the dolphin was vandalised.

Locals were shocked when they woke yesterday to find that the sculpture of the little boy riding on Opo had been decapitated.

The statue was a tribute to Opo the friendly dolphin, who made news headlines around the world in the summer of 1955 when he entertained beachgoers and played with children at Opononi beach, in the Hokianga.

He was later found dead on the beach - believed to have been accidently killed by fishermen - and the memorial sculpture was put up by Russell Clark soon afterwards.

John Penney, who works at a store near the beach, said an elderly man found the decapitated head and walked into the shop upset as he held it in his hands.

"A passerby was out walking his dog and found it," Mr Penney said.

"It's in two pieces. He's just sitting there on the dolphin with no head on. It's not a pretty sight ... How they smashed it, I don't know."

Mr Penney said he was "pretty gutted" at seeing the statue vandalised. It was something that many people loved.

"We're locals - been here a long time - and seeing something like that [is not good]. Opo's put us on the map here." he said.

Opononi Takeaways owner Sue Leigh-Mackenzie said tourists loved to take photos at the statue and seeing it vandalised was upsetting.

"I just can't believe someone would do something like that. It's the last thing in the world I would want to do. I just can't understand it."

"I just don't want to look at it right now."

Mrs Leigh-Mackenzie said it was not known who had vandalised the statue, but she said many residents had heard a group of people zooming down the road in their vehicles early yesterday morning.

Another resident, maintenance man Les Stewart, said he was disgusted.

"It's just absolutely disrespectful what they've done. The statue's been here for about 50 years and this is the first time something like this has happened to it. It's disgusting."

Mr Stewart has mended the boy's head and will reattach it to the statue today.