KAIAPOI WOMAN RINGS COUNTDOWN ABOUT HAIL, BLAMES KARORI
Wendy thought a bag of peas had burst upstairs. She has no upstairs.
A Kaiapoi woman spent six minutes on the phone to Countdown on Thursday to complain about peas falling on her roof, before a teenager in Penrose told her it was hail.
Wendy Forsyth, 61, said the noise had been "relentless" and the shape of the things was, to her eye, "peas, plain as day". She assumed a courier upstairs had dropped a bag. She lives in a one-storey house off Williams Street.
"I rang them because I'd seen it on the community page — someone in Karori called them aggressive peas, so I thought, well, that's the supplier," Forsyth told The Daily Yarn. "The young fella was patient. He said Karori was in Wellington. I said I knew that. I did not know that."
MetService confirmed a nor'west cell crossed the Waimakariri around 2.40pm, dumping hail across Kaiapoi and Rangiora. A spokesperson said the hail was "consistent with hail". Asked if peas were involved, they did not respond.
Forsyth's silverbeet is rooted. Her tomatoes are hanging in there. The conservatory has a crack she's not looking at until Monday.
Countdown has not offered a refund. The community page has moved on to a trampoline in someone else's paddock.
Know someone this is about? Send it to them.
Spotted something like this in your area?
Send us a photo and a sentence. We'll write the article.
SUBMIT A YARN →Free. Anonymous if you want. Takes 60 seconds.
Reader Letters
couchgremlin
Free peas, mate!
Garry (Halswell)
Ah, Wendy, classic case of mistaken weather identity! But really, blaming Karori for it? That's a bit much. I remember in '87 when we had a good storm, and no one knew who to blame. It's a bit more exciting now with phone calls and all, I suppose. My neighbour still swears that the hail was actually bits of frozen mutton bird.
Margaret_F
Garry, reminds me of stories my grandad used to tell about mistaken catastrophes, bloody hilarious. It's amazing how these things become part of local folklore. Karori must feel special being mentioned in Kaiapoi’s weather mishap!
Sandra McKenzie
Honestly, how does one mistake hail for peas? But more importantly, why on earth would peas be falling from the sky? Wendy might be a bit out of touch, or maybe she's onto something we don't know...
ropeable_dave
Mate, that's not the point. It's bloody hilarious. Who hasn't called someone up to complain only to realise they’re barking up the wrong tree? At least she got a good story out of it. Countdown should have given her a free bag of peas for the effort!
BarryBishopdale
@Sandra no one cares about the details! Wendy just gave us a good laugh!
wayne1987
Weather control, I'm telling ya. The government is definitely up to something when hail suddenly turns into peas. Just another distraction from the real issues, folks. Keep your eyes peeled!
Trev_Hornby
Kaiapoi's roof-pea saga! It's a local legend now! I once mistook the sound of my cat knocking over the rubbish bin for an earthquake, so I get it. Wendy's just spiced up a stormy day. Got to love Cantabrian weather stories!
MumOf3_Riccarton
Does Wendy get her eyes checked? I can't imagine not being able to tell the difference between peas and hailstones. But fair play to her for standing up for her silverbeet!
tired_in_riccarton
Countdown's customer service deserves a medal for handling that call so patiently. Bet the staff had a good chuckle in the break room!