'Bloody mongrels' chop down and steal young Norfolk pine in Whanganui

What remains of Jan and Tony's Norfolk pine. Photo / Bevan Conley.

A retired Okoia couple want people in Whanganui to keep any eye out for an unusually large Christmas tree.

The retired farmers, Jan and Tony, say the Norfolk pine they had worked so hard to get going was chopped down and stolen in the night by "bloody mongrels".

"It was quite a big tree. We bought it from a place in Palmy," Jan said.

"We'd paid $130 or $140 for the thing. When we got it, it would have been about 3 years old then. I've always wanted a Norfolk pine."

She said it was likely the culprits took the pine to use as a Christmas tree - despite the fact it was more than 8 foot tall.

"Oh yeah, what else would they use it for? Season of goodwill ... we'll flog your blimmin' tree.

"They've jumped the blimmin' fence - the bloody cheek! "They must have had a truck or something to put it on the back. Because you wouldn't get it in a car."

The couple have lived at their Okoia property for two years after retiring as farmers up the Parapara highway.

They said the tree was still there on Saturday when Tony was mowing the lawns. It is probable the tree was taken overnight on Sunday.

"It was special," Jan said. "We spent quite a bit on trees and getting these big trees so it looked as though you were in a place for quite a while.

"The first year we put it in there we had to water it ... we were watering it every day and then all of a sudden it was looking really nice."