Just a day after a 205-year-old Crimean War cannon was stolen from Auckland's waterfront on the back of a truck, Auckland Council were calling metal recyclers to see if anyone was trying to melt the relic down.
While the thief may have thought they were in for a big pay day – the scrap value of the metal is only worth NZ $200 ($185), according to an expert.
The weapon, which had been situated at The Landing in Okahu Bay in Auckland for the last 71 years, was supposed to be moved by the council on June 1, Stuff reported.
When their truck driver showed up in the afternoon to pick it up, the cannon was missing.
Images given to Stuff show the cannon sitting on the back of a flatbed truck, having been lifted onto it by a small crane, before being driven off towards the motorway.
The cannon is still missing, with no arrests or charges laid, police told Stuff.
Documents obtained under the Local Government Official Information and Management Act show council Area Operations Manager Martin Wong called the NZ Association for Metal Recyclers just a day after the cannon was stolen, to see if anyone had reported someone trying to melt the weapon down.
The council were provided with a form where they could list stolen metal items, so that the association could keep an eye out for anyone trying to melt them.
"Lets hope the cannon turns up and has not already been melted down", Orākei Local Board Deputy Chair Sarah Powrie wrote in an email to Wong a few days after the theft.
NZAMR President Joe Gibson said the cannon looked to be cast iron metal, weighing roughly 500kg.
The value of the weapon as scrap would be around $200, so not worth the effort of stealing it, Gibson said.
Another issue for the thief would be that no recycler would see the cannon come into their shop and not ask questions, he said.
It's possible someone could try to break up the cannon to disguise what it is, he said, but it would be hard to do that with a gas torch – so it would require something heavy dropped on it.
The council had been looking for new a new home for the cannon, with the Auckland War Memorial Museum being one of the candidates.
A museum spokesperson confirmed they had been assessing the cannon for acquisition, but had not made a decision before it was stolen.
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No cost evaluation had been made, they said.
Stuff previously revealed that the cannon was left unsecured in the open, next to a public car park, before it was stolen.
The cannon arrived in Auckland in 1859, having been captured by the British Government at Sevastopol in 1857.
