Mysterious barnacle-covered object washes up on NZ beach

A huge barnacle-encrusted object that washed up on a beach in New Zealand has left locals scratching their heads.

Beachgoer Melissa Doubleday came across the object on Auckland's Muriwai Beach on Friday night.

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She posted pictures of it on the Waimauku Area Community Facebook page to see if anyone knew what the object was.

Suggestions on social media included a Rastafarian whale, an ancient Maori canoe, and an alien time capsule.

However, according to 9 News, it seems that the general consensus is that it's a large piece of driftwood covered in goose-neck barnacles.

Gooseneck barnacles are filter-feeding crustaceans that live on hard surfaces of rock or driftwood.

According to stuff.co.nz, the object has been dubbed the 'Muriwai monster'.

Melissa told the site: "I actually thought it was a washed up whale as I approached it, so weird."