Bay of Plenty pot holes repurposed by Te Puna prankster

Te Puna residents have found a use for pot holes.

Te Puna has some green-thumbed jokesters.

First there was the phantom hay baler on the State Highway 2 roundabout. Now there’s an elusive pot planter.

A series of plants have been placed in the potholes of a busy Te Puna access road that runs beside the BP service station, adjacent to SH2.

It appears they may be taking a dig at Western Bay of Plenty District Council to fix the local potholes.

A Te Puna resident contacted Western Bay of Plenty District Council last week about the holes after one of their tyres blew out while driving over them.

The anonymous resident also contacted the Katikati Advertiser to explain the situation.

‘’The potholes have been repaired on numerous occasions only to be dug out again by heavy trucks and drivers cutting that corner. As locals, none of us should have to put up with shoddy workmanship.

‘’Te Puna locals know how to look after themselves and if planting some pretty flowers sends a message to the powers-that-be to spur them into action with the help of social media and local news reporting, then ... great.’’

The anonymous resident who contacted Katikati Advertiser said ‘’the rest of the world may be broken but here in Te Puna, we get things done”.

A community Facebook page post drew more than 150 likes and plenty of comments cheering on the jokers.

Council transportation area engineer Ashley Hall said they were made aware of the potholes last week.

‘’The site was inspected and the repair work was added to our maintenance schedule, with high priority. We expect them to be infilled this week.’’

Ashley said there was a high demand placed on contracted inspectors, so maintenance work like this sometimes got missed.

“We are grateful when people let us know about these issues as they occur. If anyone has any concerns regarding road maintenance, please contact us as soon as the issue becomes apparent, so it can be assessed and repair work scheduled as resources become available. You can do this via the Antenno app, or contact the council on 0800 926 732.

‘’Planting potholes is a creative, but not a very practical solution. Personally, I would recommend hydrangeas, as they are a colourful and durable choice during the hotter weather,” Ashley said.