Christchurch earthquake boulder fetches heavy-weight price

A 30 tonne boulder sent crashing through a house by the Christchurch earthquake, which shot to fame after it was auctioned on Trade Me, has sold for more than $60,000 amid last minute bidding confusion.

During the final minutes of the auction this morning NZSki lodged a bid for $50,000, but it was later removed. The winning bid was then reduced to $10,050.

Trade Me spokesman Paul Ford said the auction site tried to contact NZSki using the numbers on their account but could not get through, so removed the bid believing it was a hoax.

However NZSki later contacted Trade Me and confirmed the bid's legitimacy.

An agreement was reached between the three parties that NZSki would pay $50,000 for the rock, while the actual bidder would still pay $10,050 and receive the trip to Norfolk Island that was also included.

NZSki chief executive James Coddington said the company would move "Rocky", when the cordon was lifted, and transport him to the carpark at Mt Hutt where his fans could visit.

The auction for the rock - which crashed into a Heathcote home when it was sent tumbling by last month's 6.3 magnitude earthquake - received 316,351 public views and hundreds of comments.

Vendor through Phil Johnson described "Rocky" as a landscape feature in the listing on Trade Me.

''He is in pristine condition [just a little bit of concrete dust]. Suitable for garden feature, or as in our case a magnificent addition to your living area.

''Rocky will enhance your indoor/outdoor flow considerably, especially if you load him in through the garage roof like we did,'' Johnson wrote.

All proceeds will go to the Christchurch Earthquake Relief Fund.