Wind wand sculpture split apart after being struck by lightning

A sculpture in Wellington, New Zealand has been blown up by lightning. The "needle", a zephyrometer installed at Evans Bay in 2003, was struck by lightning at about 2.30pm on Thursday.



Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said the sculpture, designed by artist Phil Price, was "completely stuffed" and there was a lot of debris that needed to be cleaned up.


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Kilbirnie resident Atom Emet's timing was bang-on when he decided to use his video camera to record a storm hitting the capital. Emet noticed the "violent" change in the weather so hit record on his camera from his window and seconds later captured the needle sculpture being struck by lightning.


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Emet cycles daily and can see the sculpture clearly from his home, which he uses to gauge the weather direction and how long it will take him to get to his destination. "It's pretty useful for me so I'm a fan of it.''