In just a few hours a rare part of New Zealand history will be sold for over a million dollars on Trade Me.
The auction for a vial which is said to be filed with an 1886, pre-eruption sample of the famous pink and white terraces continued to attract attention from bidders last night.
The piece of history is being sold by a Stratford seller who goes by the name of John.
John says it was passed on to him when his grandmother, who was more than 100 years old, died.
“It is a very rare sample of one of the most famous natural wonders of the world.”
With over 5700 views, the bidding reached $1,001,700 last night but the reserve had still not been met.
If the reserve price is met, John says he will donate $100,000 to research into the pink and white terraces.
And it seems this rare piece is the real.
“We are not geological experts but we believe the auction and the product is legitimate. It’s up there with one of the highest-priced auctions we have ever had,” says Trade Me spokesman Paul Ford.
“Trade Me bidders should only bid on the product if they believe it. It’s essentially buyer beware – they bid at their discretion.”
Liz Cotton from the Ministry of Heritage and Culture says a genuine sample of the pink and white terraces is perfectly legal to sell.
“There are no restrictions to sell this within New Zealand. Protected heritage objects can be sold and purchased provided the object stays within the country.
“The item on Trade Me cannot be sold to someone living overseas or to someone in New Zealand who then takes the object overseas.”
The pink and white terraces were were considered to be the eighth wonder of the natural world before hey were completely destroyed by a volcanic eruption on the 10th June 1886.
The auction closes today at 12:47pm.
3 News
source: newshub archive
