RANGIORA WOMAN RINGS 111 ON COURIER FOR BEING "TOO NICE"

A Rangiora woman dialled 111 on Tuesday afternoon after a courier driver behaved, in her words, "far too pleasant to be above board".

The resident, Coral Whitcombe of High Street, said the man knocked twice, waited, said her name, and put the parcel under the eaves so the nor'wester wouldn't get it. "My Gerald never trusted a bloke who smiled before noon," she told The Daily Yarn. "He had a lanyard. Anyone can get a lanyard. My son's girlfriend has three."

Mrs Whitcombe said the courier also complimented her hydrangeas, which she found suspicious, and asked if she wanted the box brought inside. She declined and shut the door on him. "Firmly. I'm not an animal."

A neighbour, Lynette Pringle, said the same driver had been just as civil to her earlier in the round. "Said hello to the dog by name. We've never met him. The dog hasn't either."

Constable Pearce attended from Rangiora station, inspected the parcel — a pair of orthopaedic slippers — and told Mrs Whitcombe that being polite was not, at this stage, an offence under the Crimes Act. He noted the matter on file anyway.

The courier has finished his run. Mrs Whitcombe is keeping the slippers but says she'll be watching the tracking number "like a hawk".