Mystery surrounds giant shaggy barnacle covered object that washed up on a New Zealand beach

'What the?' Mystery surrounds giant shaggy barnacle-covered object that washed up on a New Zealand beach *** A giant alien-like object covered in barnacles that washed up on a New Zealand beach has locals baffled. Melissa Doubleday was driving past Muriwai Beach near Auckland when she encountered the strange scene about five kilometres down the shore. 'Just curious to know if anyone knows what this is?' she asked a community Facebook group. 'I drove past and was like what the?' Suggestions included a Maori canoe, a monster from the 1980s television series Under the Mountain, a shipwreck, artwork, a Caribbean walrus, a Rastafarian whale or an alien time capsule. In reality it was most likely a large piece of driftwood covered in what appeared to be gooseneck barnacles. 'I actually thought it was a washed up whale as I approached it, so weird,' Ms Doubleday said. The bizarre object was reminiscent of scenes on NZ's beaches after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake lifted the seabed two metres and exploded through the sand. Once submerged, the rocks - covered in barnacles, limpets and seaweed - were pushed up above the surface. As a result of the sudden uplift, sea life including lobster and abalone, were stranded out of water. | Daily Mail Online
via http://youtu.be/a-f9U1LzOAY