If there's one thing that Lake Ohia man Ian Burke does not appreciate when he looks across the road from his home it's the sight of an abandoned car.
And if there's one thing that frustrates him more than the attitude that some people display when it comes to getting rid of whatever it is that they no longer want, it's the roundabout he embarked upon when he tried to interest the police and the Far North District Council in doing something about it.
"This heap of rubbish was dumped on a layby opposite my driveway last Friday, partially blocking access to it," Mr Burke said. "I called the police, who said it was of no interest to them, despite having no current wof or rego, and in my eyes should not have even been on the road.
"So I called the FNDC after-hours number. After explaining the situation, and assuring the council spokesperson that Inland Rd is not a state highway and Lake Ohia is not in Kaitaia, but 25km away, she suggested it was a matter for the police. And so the conversation went on, around and around, going nowhere.
"After I expressed my main concern, that some hoon with little brain matter could quite feasibly torch the car, she said then it would become a police matter. After suggesting that in that eventuality, half of the tinder-dry conservation area would create a horrendous fire that could put my property and others under threat, she said someone would contact me."