TDC stumps up for dumped car
An abandoned car left near a waterway at the bottom of Marahau Hill has finally been removed, but its owner has taken off, leaving the salvage bill with local authorities.
The white station wagon has been a recent sight for travellers between Riwaka and Marahau after it was driven off the road and down a bank.
Several vehicles have suffered a similar fate on the stretch of road – although most are retrieved afterwards.
A police spokeswoman said the crash was reported on August 7, and a person received a written warning.
‘‘In situations such as this, the local council is notified in order for the vehicle to be recovered.’’
Tasman District Council community relations manager Chris Choat confirmed that the car had been picked up from the site and taken to Motueka.
The council would bear the cost of removal, he said, as it would cost a great deal more to find and prosecute the owner.
‘‘The address of the registered owner is of no great help, as it is a backpackers lodge in Auckland, and we know the registered owner has left the country,’’ Choat said. It is understood the person was visiting from Germany.
Bill Byrne of Nelson-based Byrne Carriers Limited began the removal process by winching the vehicle up the steep drop during his lunch break last Monday.
Byrne said his company had a contract to pick up vehicles left on NZ Transport Authority-managed highways, and was used to picking up stray cars around the region.
He said that after seeing online comments from people in Motueka and Marahau, he became aware of the environmental hazards presented by the vehicle’s position near a creek used by locals, and was compelled to act.
‘‘I just didn’t like the fact it was getting left there and it was right above a waterway – I mean, people feed off that water.
‘‘We deal with these cars all the time being left on the side of the road when they run out of fuel – this one was just a bit trickier to get at.’’
Speaking in 2018 in relation to a report covering the year beginning April 1, 2017, council regulatory manager Adrian Humphries said the number of abandoned vehicles in the district had increased to 76 being removed over the period, costing approximately $180 each.
‘‘Where the owner can be identified, removal and disposal costs are recouped. However, this is often impossible.’’