Senior Sergeant Mark Kirkwood, of Greymouth, said this week police wanted to speak with one person in connection to the incident.
However, they had so far evaded door-knocking by the police, Snr Sgt Kirkwood said.
‘‘And strangely enough they’re not coming to see us,’’ he said.
He could not say at this stage whether a charge would be laid.
It is the second time the art installation has been destroyed in six months. In January, large sections of the letters were broken. However, it was unclear at that time whether the damage was caused by high winds or vandals.
‘‘It’s just disappointing that one person has ruined it for a lot of tourists and most of the town.’’
Mr Neale said it would take a while to rebuild as the right pieces of driftwood needed to be found.
He planned to start work on a new sign this weekend, and had received a few offers from people wanting to help, he said.
The driftwood sign first popped up as a feature of the Driftwood and Sand Festival. It was built every January on the beach, and usually lasted a few months before the sea washed it away.
However, it became a permanent fixture along the beachfront when the seawall was built in 2013.
Mr Neale said in all that time it had fallen over only twice before: during Cyclone Fehi in 2018 and in a smaller storm.
Metal bracing has been proposed in the past with Westland District Council support.
However, Mr Neale said a sand bed at least 1m deep needed to be established first.
- By Janna Sherman
