Murray's Holden an Accidental Rangiora Landmark
OC7989 hasn't moved since 2011. A sycamore is using it as a planter.
The car, registration OC7989, has been sitting in the same spot off Lehmans Road since somewhere between the February quake and the day the warrant expired. The tree is now taller than the car.
"It's a piss-take, eh!" said Lorraine Petherick, 61, who's lived next door for twenty-two years. "He said he'd shift it next weekend. That was 2013! The tree's got rings, Sharon. RINGS!"
The car's owner, Murray Cuthbert, told The Daily Yarn the Holden was "going to be a project" and the tree was "adding a bit of shade". Asked if he'd shift either, Murray said the tree had "earned its spot" and the warrant was "only a bit expired". The warrant expired in 2008.
A Waimakariri District Council spokesperson said the matter was "being looked into" but conceded that abandoned vehicles with root systems were "a grey area" and might require eighteen months and a rake. The local constable declined to tow it on the grounds that "it's structural now".
Lorraine has started calling the car "the installation" down at Good Brew, where barista Tane (makes a cracking flat white!!) says she brings it up every second oat milk. The sycamore is in bud.
Reader Letters
Sharon Ngatai
Oh Murray, tree-hugger extraordinaire or just too lazy to mow the lawn? Either way, that Holden's turned into quite the attraction! Keep it up, Rangiora's very own botanical car museum.
Janice Walsh
It's a bit of nature meets machinery, isn't it? But I do feel for Lorraine having to look at it every day. Maybe a community garden could use the extra shade?
Linda Chen
I see a bong tree more than a sycamore! 😂 Knowing Murray, it'll be a native tree before long. Curious what the council will come up with next, though likely nothing.
Barry
Sharon, you're having a bloody laugh if you think Murray's the next landscaping genius. He's been on the bloody nose for ages! And Trevor, the council wouldn't know creative from a hole in the ground. They'll spend more money on meeting about the Holden than actually doing something useful. And don't get me started on bloody cycle lanes!
Trevor McLeod
Lorraine's spot on calling it 'the installation'. Murray's comeback is more creative landscaping than anything I've seen from the council lately. Maybe they should hire him!