Black lobster becomes mainland’s biggest fan

The normally orange world famous giant Kaikoura lobster has had a makeover to become the Mainland’s biggest kiwi rugby fan decked out in black and white.

The Lobster Inn in Kaikoura is home to the world famous giant lobster, over six metres in length and built using steel mesh, paper mache and fibre glass in 1994. The Lobster reached New Zealand Icon status in 1998, featuring on a New Zealand post stamp issue celebrating town icons, the same set of 10 stamps that also featured the Ohakune giant carrot.

Neil Pablecheque, Manager of the Lobster Inn says “The Kaikoura region is a popular tourist spot and the ‘Paint It Black’ lobster is a great way for our region to show we’re cheering for our team too and give visitors a once in a lifetime chance to see a giant black lobster.”

To match the Ohakune ‘Paint It Black’ carrot, the lobster has been painted by a local painter in Environmental Choice approved Resene CoolColour Black paint and Resene Sea Fog, which are both made in New Zealand. The Resene CoolColour paint is formulated with special pigment technology to reflect more heat than standard paint colours, so the CoolColour paint surface won’t get as hot as a normal black paint would. At over six metres and approximately two storeys in height, there was a lot of lobster to paint.

The Lobster, already frequently photographed, is expected to be the focus of many more photos as tourists capture its latest look. The Kaikoura giant lobster will shed its black coat and return to its traditional orange later this year with fresh coats of Resene paint.