When part of the New Zealand town of Turangi became clouded by marijuana smoke, residents did not expect to find it coming from the local police station.

After police in the North Island town seized a crop of marijuana, they sought to destroy the plant by burning it in their station furnace.

However this method proved half-baked, and suddenly the surrounding area was coated in a plume of rather green smelling smoke.

Breakfast radio host Adam Green was at the nearby grocery store New World when he copped a whiff and realised the smoke was coming from the police station chimney.

"This is TOO MUCH!!! Turangi police are incinerating weed, the car park next door is FULL of cars sitting in the smoke!!" Green said on his Instagram account.

Police were left red-faced and Taupo District Area Commander Warwick Morehu told One News the manner of disposal was "not ideal".

"[It] certainly caused us to look at our practice which we'll be addressing," he said.

Mr Morehu indicated police would be looking at an off-site location to burn cannabis in the future.

The process of burning marijuana was rare, Mr Morehu said, but he added police were currently seeing more of the drug during the growing season.