Treehouse gets the chop
Irate landowner fells Douglas fir after ‘Aussie bludger’ builds himself a home in branches
AQueenstown landowner has taken a chainsaw to a fir holding the treehouse of an “Aussie bludger”. Peter Clark cut down the Douglas fir — estimated to be about 28 years old — on Saturday morning, bringing the big treehouse crashing down.
It was built without permission two months ago by a young Australian carpenter, who had been living there.
Clark said he had owned the land for about nine years.
The tree was dropped in one piece, he said.
“It was really spectacular. It disintegrated. If you’d heard the crash, when that thing went down the cliff and shattered into a million pieces, it was one hell of a noise.”
Last month, Mountain Scene spoke to “Andy”, the carpenter, who said he was living in the treehouse, off Sunshine Bay’s Arawata Bridle Track.
The 20-year-old did not want to give his surname but said he did not think the landowner would mind.
But Clark, 62, a former firefighter, was furious at his cheek. He wanted the police to intervene but they said no crime had been committed.
Instead, his two sons, both in their 20s, came down from Christchurch to help with the “eviction”. Both went up into the treehouse. “It looks like the Aussie bludger was still living there,” Clark said.
“There was lots of stuff inside; an air rifle, fresh eggs, butter, other food, a gas cooker, couch, chilly bins, obviously lots of beer, a pipe for drugs.
“And condoms. I’m not sure how many girlfriends he’s had up there.” Clark took some of the items home for safe-keeping and said Andy could come around and collect them. The rest hit the ground. “Wouldn’t it be great to have seen the look on his face when he came back? It was very satisfying.
“Let that be a lesson to these people that just come here and use us and abuse us, like the freedom campers.”
Andy could not be located for comment.