That will not deter Halfway Bush residents Phyl Beagley (85) and Gaynor Earl (86), who are delighted with the generosity of a dairy owner who agreed to help after the local postbox was removed by New Zealand Post.
Organised by an Auckland television production company, the box is emptied into an official postbox every one or two days by dairy owner Mao Zhou.
Mrs Beagley and Mrs Earl visited the makeshift postbox yesterday morning to send Christmas cards.
The pair hope it becomes well used by the many older residents in the area. It was put in place a week ago.
New Zealand Post regional service delivery manager Murray Rei said people should lodge mail directly into the postal network.
''We'd encourage people to lodge mail directly with us, rather than leave it at the shop.
''There is a postbox at 286 Taieri Rd, or people can post their mail at another postbox when they are out and about, for example shopping for groceries,'' Mr Rei said in a statement.
Mrs Beagley said New Zealand Post's view would not discourage her.
''We don't care what they say.''
She said the state-owned enterprise disregarded the views of older people when it removed two Taieri Rd postboxes in July. One of them was directly outside the dairy.
The pair had collected more than 300 signatures in a fruitless attempt to save it.
The postbox had been receiving about 80 letters per week, but New Zealand Post said use was too low to maintain it.
''[New Zealand Post] just took it away and some [people] have no way whatsoever of posting a letter now,'' Mrs Beagley said.
An Auckland TV company making a programme about neighbourhood problems took an interest in Mrs Beagley and Mrs Earl's plight after they featured in the Otago Daily Times.
