'We're sorry to anyone we offended': Pranksters apologise after maunga defaced

The iwi and Auckland Council co-governance entity which manages the city’s mountains is speaking with police after an obscene image was mown into one maunga by a group that’s already claimed responsibility for several other high-profile pranks.

In footage posted to City Slikas social media channels last weekend, at least three young men can be seen using weed whackers and measuring tape as they mow a depiction of male genitals into the grass of Ōhinerau/Mt Hobson in central Auckland.

The stunt, which has received more than 138,000 views on TikTok and been shared 150,000 times on Instagram, ends with two of the participants, clad in bright orange high-vis tops, celebrating their efforts by leaning out of a moving car on the Southern Motorway.

“Results made it all worth it,” @city.slikas wrote below the video, although a person connected to the account later told the Herald they “genuinely had no idea it was sacred land, and we’re sorry to anyone we offended”.

A Tūpuna Maunga Authority spokesperson said today that it was “now in discussion with NZ Police on this matter” and couldn’t comment further, including on whether they’d laid a complaint.

Police could not be reached today, but told the Herald yesterday that they hadn’t had any reports about the incident.

A man can be seen using a tape measure as a group mowed an obscene image into the side of Ōhinerau/Mt Hobson in Auckland. Photo / Screengrab from @city.slikas

They said they would be investigating, however.

The obscene image has since been mowed out of existence.

City Slikas, who have 32,000 followers on Instagram and around 8000 on TikTok, have previously claimed responsibility for other high-profile stunts.

This included when footage was posted online of two young men jumping off the Auckland Harbour Bridge, a young man was filmed doing laps in a water feature at Newmarket Westfield and after a video showing a young man jumping off a moving Auckland ferry went viral.

Police said the viral stunt was "a foolish act". Photo / @city.slikas

Footage of the ferry incident, which police described as “foolish” and led to a two-year trespass notice from all Fullers ferries, racked up nearly 8 million views in almost four months.

They wanted to give people something to laugh about amid stressful times and in a city where not much was going on, a person connected to City Slikas wrote this week in reply to a Herald message to the account’s Instagram profile.

“Our intention was to use our platform to make a statement. Everyone’s stressed these days, and there’s not exactly much going on in Auckland, so we wanted to give everyone something to laugh and smile about, and we feel with the feedback we have received we have achieved this (we are a positive group).”

They went to the volcanic cone with one goal and “somehow managed to achieve it; the grass got mowed”.

Two of the men involved in the stunt pictured with their weed whackers before an obscene image was mown into the side of one of Auckland's volcanic cones. Photo / Screengrab from video @city.slikas

“At the end of the day, it’s grass, it grows back, and we’ve probably given it a better haircut than most of Auckland gets these days.”

If people had a laugh, they knew where to find the group, the person wrote, encouraging the public to “give us a follow”.

Two people could be seen hanging from a moving car on Auckland's Southern Motorway as part of the stunt to mow an obscene image into the side of Ōhinerau/Mt Hobson. Photo / Screengrab from video @city.slikas

Most of those commenting on the footage gave the group’s efforts a thumbs up, with several suggesting how the pranksters could make their work a permanent fixture.

“Picasso”, wrote one fan.

“So yous are the legends”, wrote another.

But not everyone was impressed, including one who responded to a supporter’s comment that the fine they expected would be coming the group’s way would be “worth it”.

“How is defacing property that’s not yours worth it?”