When an old rusted ute with a missing door and grass growing inside turned up outside Ken Hindson's house, he thought somebody had dumped it on purpose.
The Featherston resident was annoyed to find the ute, with a warrant of fitness from 2006, blocking his driveway on Wednesday night.
Theyellow ute, with rusted car parts and cobwebs on the dashboard, looked abandoned but it turned out some mischievous kids were to blame.
The 1982 Mazda ute actually belonged to one of Mr Hindson's neighbours, said South Wairarapa District Council bylaw officer Andrew McEwan.
"Some kids had pushed it about 10 yards down the road."
The owner of the ute was supposed to be taking it to his mother's place.
Mr McEwan said the council had received Mr Hindson's call and was dealing with it. "If it's still there I'll be getting it removed."
When the council gets a call about a dumped car, a bylaw officer checks with police that it is not stolen. The bylaw officer then arranges removal by waste management services.