Cut wires raise ire

It seems the Christmas Grinch has struck in Waldronville.

The bright lights of the township have filled visitors with Christmas spirit for many years, but Viscount Rd resident Joan Le Masurier is upset she had to spend several hours rewiring her Christmas lighting display this week after a "Christmas hater" cut the wires with a pair of pliers on Sunday night.

"It's disappointing. We do this stuff to bring a bit of joy to the community.

"I've been doing this for about eight years, and it never ceases to amaze me the number of people who stop to look at my lights. It's a bit of a shame someone has decided to ruin that."

Police had been contacted about the vandalism but so far, no other incidents had been reported in Waldronville.

Mrs Le Masurier takes great pride in her lighting display because it takes hours to install.

"It's addictive - it takes you over. Every year you buy more Christmas lights and find new places to put them."

While the number of houses displaying Christmas lights in Waldronville had increased to about 40 this year, resident John Duff said it was still down on the large numbers who participated in previous years. 

"It was at its brightest in the 1990s. I've lived here for 38 years and I've been putting lights up for the last 10 years.

"A lot of the people that used to do it are older residents who have either shifted out or passed away. Others have had their lights taken after their marriage split up."

Mr Duff said there was some apathy in the community too, partly caused by the recession in the New Zealand economy.

"People don't have the money or the time to do it like they used to. I think the recession has played a big part too. There's not as much money around."

john.lewis@odt.co.nz