An irked Queenstown landowner has taken a chainsaw to a tree containing a sly tree house, home to an ''Aussie bludger''.
Peter Clark cut down the tree - estimated to be about 28 years old - on Saturday morning, bringing the substantial tree house crashing to the ground.
It was built two months ago by a young Australian carpenter, without permission.
The man had been living in it.
Mr Clark, originally from Christchurch but now living in Queenstown, 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 approached ''Andy'', the carpenter, who said he was living in the tree house, off Sunshine Bay's Arawata Tce.
The 20-year-old did not want to give his surname but said he did not think the landowner would mind.
But Mr 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 tree house.
''It looks like the Aussie bludger was still living there,'' Mr 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.''
Mr Clark took some of the items home for safe-keeping and said Andy could come around and collect them.
The rest hit the ground with the tree.
''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.
''We've found other people on the land,'' he said.
''They just come and set up house thinking 'who gives a s***', well, we do, that's who.''
Andy could not be located yesterday for comment.
