For decades, the parabolic whisper dishes outside T\u016bhura Otago Museum have remained steadfast and unmoveable.<\/p>\n
But today\u2019s severe gales ripped them out of the ground like weeds, for the first time since they were built there about 30 years ago.<\/p>\n
The exhibit allows two people to whisper into one dish and be heard clearly by someone at the other dish about 20 metres away.<\/p>\n
Museum marketing manager Charlie Buchan said when the wind hit, everyone in his office stood up and went to look out the window.<\/p>\n
“The museum\u2019s a pretty old building, and we thought the windows were going to cave in.<\/p>\n
“We looked out and then a big tree fell, and then we saw one of the whisper dishes take flight like a flying saucer.<\/p>\n
“Luckily it hit a tree so it couldn’t go any further. It\u2019s made out of metal and it\u2019s really heavy, but it flew like it was pretty light.<\/p>\n
“It’s the first time they’ve ever been yanked out of the ground by wind.”<\/p>\n
He said the second dish also got blown out of the ground, but because it was so close to a tree, it did not move far.<\/p>\n
Mr Buchan said the museum had a large group of visitors about to leave when the wind gusts hit.<\/p>\n
“We had to stop them from leaving.<\/p>\n
“Some of them were Australian tourists and they were asking if this was what Dunedin’s weather was usually like, and we had to reassure them that it wasn’t.<\/p>\n
“We also cleared people from the cafe window tables and brought all the furniture in.<\/p>\n
“We kept them in for about 20 minutes, just to make sure everything was all good.<\/p>\n
“It was actually quite scary because it just didn’t stop.”<\/p>\n
Once the wind died down, staff went outside to secure the whisper dishes.<\/p>\n
“We couldn’t really get out there and do much with them because they were too heavy to lift.<\/p>\n
“So we’ve just fastened them to the ground and to the trees to make sure they don’t really go any further.”<\/p>\n
Staff also cleared State Highway 1 (heading south) which was covered in some large branches from trees in the Museum Reserve.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, no-one was injured, he said.<\/p>\n