North Canterbury tree vandals yet to be charged

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

Police are yet to charge the vandals who felled a North Canterbury community’s prized pine tree onto a road seconds before a school principal drove by.

Stuart Priddy, principal of Loburn School, had to slam on his brakes to avoid crashing into the giant tree near the Makerikeri Bridge on Dixons Rd about 8.30pm on August 23.

Watching on from the near-by Rangiora Leigh Holiday Park, owner Rob McAlister said Priddy, who was driving to the school to check an alarm, could have been killed if he had arrived just a few seconds earlier when the giant pine tree smashed onto the road.

The tree, which was on land McAlister leased, was believed to be about 40 years old.

McAlister said he spotted the pair by the tree with a chainsaw about 7pm on August 23, and could see they were going to chop it down.

After driving his car over to try and stop them they allegedly refused and yelled at him before shunting their four-wheel-drive into the back of his car several times, he said.

Police have confirmed a month on from the incident that they have not laid charges against the pair.

Famous in the area because of a fluorescent road cone that appeared on the top branch years ago, the axing of the tree angered local residents.

The cone remained in place on the tree despite severe gales in 2014 and became a talisman in the community.

Since it was cut down, several residents have suggested replanting trees as a memorial while others thought a road cone should be put on a near-by tree.

Within two weeks a road cone eventually did appear on a neighbouring tree, within sight of the felled remains of the revered pine.

An unknown ‘ghost’ tree climber scaled another huge tree to put the cone on top, earning the admiration of locals on social media.

”The Loburn beacon is back,” one resident said, while another said the village should be renamed “Coneburn”.