Pimp your letterbox and bring on the smiles
First they had a handpainted Tardis, now it’s a cheerful bumblebee – the Langridges are one Northland family who shun the bog-standard letterbox.
It all kicked off when Zac Langridge and his wife Jenn, who are both fans of the television series Dr Who, decided to paint their ‘‘old steel crappy-looking letterbox’’ to resemble the famous time-travelling police telephone box.
‘‘Often we get reactions from people who turn up at our house, or for us to tell people how to find out place, because of the unusual letterbox,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s mainly the fans who get it, though.’’
Now that they’ve moved house, the Tardis is being stored in the garage and has been replaced by a snazzy new blackand-yellow striped bee.
‘‘I don’t think we could go back to a ‘normal’ letterbox now, not until the kids are grown up anyway.’’
Whether it’s a homage to a favourite character or show, a nod to the character of the area or simply an expression of creativity, a pimped-out letterbox adds roadside interest to your home.
These creations become beloved icons of local neighbourhoods and are the source of much delight for kids looking out the window on summer road trips.
Daphne Carvalho of Wellington’s Aro Valley said her Snoopy-themed letterbox has become so popular in the neighbourhood she hears people remarking on it all the time.
‘‘Once someone left a pile of quiches in the letterbox for us,’’ she said.
‘‘They looked OK so we ate them, and we’re still alive!’’
She painted her rural-style letterbox and fashioned a Snoopy out of plywood with leather ears.
Woodstock was added some years later.
At Christmas both wear Santa hats, although Carvalho takes them off when it’s windy.
Her letterbox fits in perfectly with the bohemian style of the neighbourhood and her brightly painted house, which won Resene’s Total Colour Award last year.
Seen or own a unique letterbox yourself? Neighbourly and Resene are running a competition to find New Zealand’s loveliest letterbox this summer.
To enter, visit neighbourly. co.nz/lovelyletterbox and upload your photographs by January 31, 2019, including the address where it is located.
If your entry is judged to be one of the top four letterboxes you’ll win a prize worth $500.
‘‘I don’t think we could go back to a ‘normal’ letterbox now.’’
Zac Langridge, owner of this bumblebee letterbox