Mystery Santa’s hijinks bring joy
Washing, ironing and firing up the barbecue – Highway Santa can do it all.
A mysterious dressed-up Santa in Kaukapakapa, northwest Auckland, has been the talk of the town with his multi-tasking.
He’s carried a boogieboard, worn his handyman apron, and escaped the perils of a rubbish truck in a case of mistaken identity.
The man in red has also been robbed of his hat, sunnies and outfit.
Yet, the life-sized model Highway Santa continues to appear each Christmas, perched near the busy State Highway 16.
He was simply spreading the Christmas spirit, a secret helper revealed.
‘‘He’s added some joy to the community,’’ she said.
‘‘There’s a lot of tough things going on at this time of year.
‘‘It’s a stressful time and parents and children are getting grumpy. This brings a bit of fun.’’
Highway Santa has popped up on Carol Leon Ave – dubbed Christmas Carol Ave by Santa – every festive season since 2014.
Last year, he wore a Darth Vader helmet to celebrate thethen new Star Wars movie.
‘‘We realised how much people enjoyed it. We’ve created a bit of fun,’’ Santa’s helper said.
‘‘The regular truckies toot at him every day.’’
Highway Santa has attracted somewhat of a social media following on the local community Facebook page.
Commenters said he brought excitement, smiles and laughter. And whoever was doing it was doing a ‘‘great job’’, one said.
His helpers said they want to remain anonymous because it was more about Highway Santa.
‘‘What we feed off is the social media comments and people laughing about him. We’re always thinking what more we can do.
‘‘We talked about making him a bit silly, but we’ll finish him off with something sensible, like messages of ‘no drink driving’ or ‘stay safe on the road’.’’
Local Kylie Aspinall said she loved seeing the ‘‘Carol Leon Santa’’.
‘‘I look forward to driving past each day and seeing what he’s up to.
‘‘I love the Christmas spirit and he always makes me laugh. A big thanks to the awesome people that are doing [it] for everyone to enjoy.’’