Wellington Water Whirler gets the speed wobbles

Still from video showing a man climbing, and eventually snapping, the 'Water Whirler' sculpture on Wellington's waterfront.

A water sculpture made famous when a self-styled "daredevil" climbed on it and snapped it has quietly disappeared from Wellington's waterfront again this summer.

Hunter Macdonald pleaded guilty to wilful damage for the 2018 incident and was sentenced to community work and fined $1000 in reparation for breaking the $300,000 sculpture.

But it appears the Len Lye Water Whirler has come back swinging from the incident with a little too much juice after being reinstated.

The sculpture is a tall pole that can be activated to create a dazzling water display.

But Wellington City Council has discovered hairline fractures in the pole and has sent it off for further examination.

"I'm told the machinery that gives the pole its wobble may be doing too good a job at giving it a wobble so it might be putting the pole under stress but that's just part of the re commissioning of the sculpture that we're doing," council spokesman Richard MacLean said.

Local engineers and glass fibre experts will assess the pole and make a call on whether the cracking will get worse and further strengthening is needed.

"We might have to recalibrate the machinery just to calm down the sculpture a little bit.

"The last thing we want is for it to fly apart and land on someone's head," MacLean said.

The sculpture was put back in place in the middle of last year prompting then mayor Justin Lester to warn would-be climbers "don't be a dick".

"I just want to say to everybody we're installing a new policy, which is don't be a dick.

"Don't even think about jumping on the Water Whirler," he said.

A bystander filmed Macdonald scaling the pole as it bent under his weight, until it snapped off at the base, hitting him on the head as he plunged in the water.

He suffered a brain injury that came "dangerously close to being fatal", according to lawyer Carrie Parkin.