300 kg Kraken

[Loki]

A giant squid washed up at Farewell Spit is the largest specimen ever discovered.

Auckland researcher Dr Steve O'Shea has identified the creature from the deep, which is now at a storage facility in Auckland.

The 300-kilogram squid will be kept deep-frozen until October when there will be work to preserve it and eventually put it on show.

Dr O'Shea says the find is important in understanding the little-known species, which is threatened through over-fishing of coastal waters.