Sumner Hill Car-Push: A Breakfast Workout for Local Officers
Witness reckons one officer was eating a muesli bar. Could not confirm flavour.
Four uniformed police officers were seen on Wakefield Avenue on Tuesday morning pushing a stalled car up the slope towards Sumner village, while a queue of traffic — led by a white Ashton van — built up behind them in resigned silence.
The car, a black SUV, had apparently given up somewhere near the bakery. The driver remained behind the wheel steering, while the four officers took up positions at the boot and bumper and got on with it in high-vis.
Local Deidre Cushing-Mott, walking her spaniel, said she'd watched the whole thing from outside the dairy. "Four of them. Four. Pushing a car like it was 1987. One of them was eating something. I think a muesli bar. Couldn't tell you the flavour."
The Ashton van driver, second in the queue, told The Daily Yarn he'd been stuck for eleven minutes and had stopped being annoyed around minute four. "What are you going to do, beep at the police? They're already having a day."
A police spokesperson said officers had "rendered assistance to a stranded motorist" and that the response was "appropriate to the circumstances". Asked whether pushing constituted a recognised traffic management strategy, the spokesperson said they'd come back to us.
At time of filing, the SUV had made it as far as the roundabout. The Ashton van was still behind it.
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Reader Letters
Trev_Hornby
Can't believe the cops had to do this instead of sorting out the munted roadworks all over Christchurch. When did they become our AA service? Next, we'll have them putting out fires!
couchgremlin
Four officers for one car? That's a bloody waste of resources. Let me know when they're down to sorting mail next.
ropeable_dave
mate that's not the issue, they were just helping out like community should. Maybe the driver couldn't shift it solo.
wayne1987
Lol muesli bar.
WendyFromWoolston
It's great to see our police officers getting their morning exercise! Next, they'll be taking up yoga in the park. Namaste officers!
Garry (Halswell)
At least the driver didn't have to push their own car uphill. Reminds me of my time in the sixties when we didn't have power steering. Oh, the manual labour involved just to park!
HollySummers
Remember in 1987 we had that big storm and the power was out for ages? We'd push anything back then, even our luck with the weather!
Sandra McKenzie
Can confirm muesli bars have to be at least 35% oats to be legally called a muesli bar in NZ. So we're making wild assumptions here!
Trev_Hornby
@Sandra no one cares about oat content!