Question
We live in New Zealand in the suburbs, it's winter here at the moment and really cold and rainy. We saw a white plastic looking thing in the grass outside, which we both thought was a piece of rubbish.  Today i pulled at it to throw it in the bin and it was actually growing in the garden, it's a full octagon type shape, white and plastic looking, spongey kind of like a seaweed (we live no-where near the beach though) and really slimey and smelly.  It's probably about 4 inches across (if pulled out), but round and hollow, if you can imagine a soccor ball design... the white plastic material is where the stitching on a soccer ball would be.  The hole it came out of, still has more white plastic looking stuff in it and hollow looking and has water in it and it really stinks.  Do you have any idea what this could be?  It's the weirdest thing we've ever seen and can't imagine what it is?

Answer
sounds like a type of fungus(mushroom, spore cell, etc.). new zealand does have life forms that are different from a lot of other places. i'm in southern new jersey USA.
seal it in a plastic bag and take it to your local garden center, agricultural agent, or exterminator for ID. if they aren't sure what it is go to more than one.