A 10-year-old boy’s seaside adventure turned into a real-life mystery after he discovered an old message in a bottle washed ashore on a beach in New Zealand.
The discovery was made by Kaea while exploring Ocean Beach in Tairua with his mother Neisha Rhind after rough weather caused by Cyclone Vaianu.
The pair had gone to inspect the shoreline after staying away during storm warnings.
Strange bottle hidden in shells
While searching through debris left along the high tide line, Kaea noticed what first looked like a concrete object.
When he picked it up, he realised it was a Jack Daniel’s bottle covered in shells.
Mother and son took it home carefully and examined it more closely.
Message from 2002 found inside
Inside the bottle, they discovered a paper note tied to a string and glued beneath the cap.
Though many details had smudged with time, the message reportedly began with: “Hi, my name is Jack.”
It also appeared to mention the date February 17, 2002, suggesting the bottle may have been drifting or hidden for decades.
Mystery remains unsolved
Curious to know more, Rhind shared images of the bottle and note on a local social media page hoping someone might recognise the message or its author.
So far, no one has identified who “Jack” is or where the bottle originally came from.
Movie-like coincidence delights family
In a twist that amused many readers, Rhind said she and her son had watched Cast Away the night before visiting the beach.
She joked that Kaea may have imagined someone stranded on an island was asking for rescue