The fate of a Seahorse Kontiki that went missing off Papamoa Beach some years ago is being brought to mind this week by the news that Rena's containers are washing ashore in the Eastern Bay.

Pukehina resident Paul Carter says the story is the Seahorse, an electric kontiki, went missing off Papamoa Beach and was recovered some time afterwards from the Pacific Ocean, 200 miles north of Chatham Island.

The owner and the seahorse's origin was located through the serial number.

'It had gone from Papamoa, drifted right up past the East Cape and towards Christchurch,” says Paul.

'It was covered in goose neck barnacles and marine growth. They cleaned it up and charged up the batteries and way it went.

'I mention it because the Rena dropped a number of containers, with one found near East Cape. It's probably feasible that one of them might have rounded and taken the same track as this guy's kontiki.

'Those things float with minimal freeboard, little influence by wind, so its just currents. That is where it went, which is quite staggering.

'Some of these containers float just below the surface or just above like an iceberg, so some of them could have taken a similar trip.

'There could be some containers heading towards the Chathams.”

There are 88 containers known to have washed over board from the Rena which ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef on October 5. They have not yet all been accounted for.