More lumps wash up on Kapiti Coast
The Dominion Post
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More mysterious lard-like lumps have washed up on lower North Island shores, proving a beacon to dogs and fortune hunters.
Waikanae Beach resident and shopkeeper Sue Wilkie discovered a large, white, barnacle-covered object at the water's edge while walking her dog yesterday morning.
"It really stood out. At first I thought it was an old float covered in barnacles.
"When I got up to it I thought it was concrete, but when I looked around the other side it was greasy and crumbly, just like the lump found at Breaker Bay.
"My German shepherd Bella was attracted to it, gave it a good sniff but backed off fast."
Mrs Wilkie was keen to cut the greasy lump into blocks and sell it as moisturising sunblock. "It could be a godsend for nudies on our beach."
John Jaspers, of Lower Hutt, was on his dune buggy at Waikanae Beach with dog Conrod when they spotted a white blob on the tide.
They both leapt off the buggy and Conrod sniffed the blob, but was not game enough to take a bite.
After the first lump was reported at Wellington's Breaker Bay at the weekend, opportunists tore into it, hoping it might be ambergris, a valuable spit or vomit excretion from sperm whales that is used in perfume. But it now seems more likely to be tallow or lard.
Kapiti Island landowner Karl Webber also spotted three similar objects - two floating in a bay and one on the shore - at the northern end of the island.
Hoping that it was ambergris, he took a sample and lit it, after being told that, if it burnt with a blue flame and had a pleasant odour, it could be the prized whale excretion.
"Unfortunately it just melted and really stank," he said.
"It was awful, like rancid fat or lard."
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OMG THE OCEANS HAVE TUMORS NOW.
It probably is just some lard from old decayed barrels that rotted away. I'm sure no matter what gross chunk washes up there will be a bunch of idiots there to sniff it and rub it all over their gullible naked bodies. Or worse. But then again that aids in natural selection. I hope its toxic.
From the descriptions- my first thought was grease. I work in the sewer system inBaltimore County, MD, USA. Our chunks of grease fit those descriptions, but our mains (sewer) are only 8" to 20" lines as opposed to some places where the lines are measured in several feet. Perhaps someone is flushing their sewer into the ocean. Grease is nasty and really clogs the system up. Constant cleaning is required to keep some lines open, though there are no guarantees. The stench is terrible.
Now those are some lumps we can laugh about. Unlike the kind I've been reading...regarding the American Economy.
Sometimes smaller white smelly lumps wash ashore around the N.Y.C. beaches. Some have remnants of styrofoam remaining amid the rancid mass of biologically decaying material. Its the smell that is horrendous as it reaks of something that might be catchy like tuberculosis or some lung disease.
Why doesnt somebody just check it out and see if it has Whale DNA?? That might be too easy, eh??
From the picture, it appears to be shaped like an old water barrel used on the wailing ships of the past. Could it be, an old sunken wailing ship finally rotted enough to let the contents of the hold float free?
Hmmm, may be from a restaurant but usually the fat gets taken away for lipstick etc. Definitely not whale fat from japanese ships haha
from the picture it looks barrel shaped. i'd say it was from a sunken whaler. old whale oil or fat.
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Ahoy Aussies!
Many apologies from the US of A. We've had a bit of run-off from the coast.
Hahahhahaa
~]3