Manapouri tree poisoner strikes again

A large stand of trees next to pristine Lake Manapouri in Fiordland has been deliberately poisoned -- the second such incident this year.

Manapouri couple Alan and Jock Hughes, whose house adjoins the reserve where more than 70 trees were found to be poisoned in January, were alerted by a contractor to a drill hole in a tree on Friday.

An investigation of the rest of the property showed at least 80 trees had been poisoned, Mr Hughes said.

The poisoning was done in the same way as the first attack, but the perpetrator had gone further by entering private property, he said.

The Hughes' property near Pearl Harbour won an environment award last year.

"There's 17 years of work here -- we just love it and it's our paradise," he said.

"It's not going to drive us out of the place....

"This is our bloody home," Mr Hughes said.

The future of the lakeshore reserve has long been a contentious issue in the community, with some residents complaining that trees block their view of the lake.

The first report of poisoning followed previous incidents of felling and burning trees.

A Te Anau police spokesman said a complaint had been taken from the Hughes and it would probably be combined with the unsolved poisoning case from January.

Southland District mayor Frana Cardno was disgusted to hear of the second attack.

"It takes a very sick person to have done this," she said.

- NZPA