Letterboxes smashed to `smithereens'

An overnight spate of rural letterbox smashing has caused as much puzzlement as anger.

Several letterboxes were damaged on Sunday night in Tapora with some smashed to pieces.

But, as resident Kim Lewin says, the vandals would have made a tremendous effort to reach the rural properties, let alone destroy the letterboxes.

Her Lemon Tree Bay Rd property is 11km down a gravel road and off two other roads.

If the vandals had been caught in the act it would have been difficult for them to escape.

Ms Lewin says she talked to other residents spread over quite a distance who also had their letterboxes vandalised.

"Mine was actually pretty unscathed compared to most.

"The postie had put it back on. Some others were smashed to smithereens."

She has lived in the area six years and never experienced any kind of vandalism there before.

"Are teenagers just really bored? Is it time for them to go back to school?"

- © Fairfax NZ News