Winners dash home in new Merc for milking

Peter and Chris Bellamy with their prize. Photo / Natalie Slade

It was fitting that Waikato dairy farmers Chris and Peter Bellamy won the Mercedes-Benz C-Class luxury car that was the big prize during the Herald's 150th celebrations.

The couple have been Herald readers for 34 years - since they married and moved to their family farm at Te Poi, near Matamata.

And Peter's parents had subscribed to the paper for many years before that.

Chris entered the competition via the newspaper to win the $71,900 C200 Dynamic Edition model as the "car was a great prize" but after disappointment that she hadn't won a daily prize, she was surprised when she received a call from the Herald a few days after the competition closed.

"I had entered the competition as Mrs Peter Bellamy, I'm old-fashioned like that, but the person from the Herald wanted to talk to Peter as it was his name on the entry," said Chris.

When Peter came home on the tractor late that afternoon he rang and was told the news that for the first time in decades they were the owners of a new car.

"I giggled, and giggled, and giggled," said Peter.

"I was supposed to go back on the farm and spread fertiliser but I was so happy that I couldn't."

Peter will continue using the tractor as his main mode of transport, and Chris will be driving the Mercedes.

"We've mainly had Japanese cars, and we've kept them for years putting 200,000 to 300,000km on them.

"We have more value in farm machinery than cars," said Peter, who runs a herd of 800 cows.

The Bellamys picked up the C200 yesterday from Hamilton, where Mercedes-Benz NZ's general manager Ben Giffin presented them with the keys.

"The C200 Dynamic Edition will provide Peter and Chris many years of Mercedes-Benz motoring pleasure at its very best," said Mr Giffin.

After receiving a quick run-through on how to drive the European sedan, the Bellamys had to leave Hamilton in their prize so Peter could get home in time for the afternoon milking.