More than a letterbox

A letterbox is a gateway to your home, collecting all sorts of important and not-so-important information. While most of us see a letterbox for its function, there are those among us who see it as an opportunity to create, to entertain and to share their personality with all those who pass by. We discover the stories behind some of our region’s most interesting letterboxes.

Jeremy Read, Tahuna

Standing as an iconic sentinel on Annesbrook Drive, Jeremy Read’s Easter Island style letterbox has drawn nationwide attention with its uniqueness. Built as a project with his son, and affectionately named ‘Dum Dum’ after the Easter Island head in the movie Night at the Museum, the letterbox has stood proudly for nearly a decade and has even withstood a pilfering attempt. “I thought it would be something cool and different! Originally, I was going to build six - as pillars between the fence - but it took four solid days of work so we used it as the letterbox. Someone threw a blanket over it once then attempted to lift it out, but it’s firmly set in the ground, so they had no chance. It’s made from Corten steel and pretty secure!”

Ben Tohill, Stoke

“There’s no point in being grown up if you can’t act childish sometimes,” says the fourth Doctor Who. Taking a leaf out of his book, Ben Tohill has recreated an epic Tardis for his daughter and son-in-law who are huge Dr Who fans. Currently displayed in front of Ben’s Stoke home, Ben spent roughly 30 to 40 hours constructing the famous police box from plywood and recycled materials. “Lots of people stop and take photos of it! I am building another one as this has developed some leaks and the light at the top needs replacing.

Tim Randall, Monaco

Built in 1964, this Johnson outboard motor was sold to Tim Randall’s father in 1965. Bringing it back from Norfolk Island to New Zealand, Tim says it continued running up until around 15 years ago but was difficult to get parts for so ended up sitting in the shed until he decided to make it into a letterbox. “The outboard is older than me and played a big part in our childhood adventures! I have a great picture of me and my older sister in the boat - called Betelgeuse - taken in about 1972. If you have a unique letterbox nobody has trouble finding your house and this way it will last another 60 years!”

George and Chris Shead, Stoke

Putting smiles on the faces of all who pass by, ‘Kevin the Minion’ was made by clever creator George Shead. Dressed in overalls (George’s wife Chris made from a denim jacket) and with his feet firmly welded and cemented into the ground, Kevin has been known to weasel his way into many a photo over the years. Recycled from a gas cylinder, the project took nearly eight hours to complete. “I have always wanted to do a minion and thought the shape of the cylinder would be perfect.” Chris has since created a purple one for someone else and says seeing people’s reactions to Kevin never gets old!

Johnny and Wendy Little, Stoke

This letterbox at John and Wendy Little’s Stoke home has seen quite a lot of attention over the years. A team collaboration by their previous flatmate Eric and Johnny himself, the nautically themed mailbox has been entered into a quirky letterbox competition, been a point of interest for rally car drivers to stop and take a selfie, and even fares unwanted attention by the occasional drunken sailor wandering past. Is it a shark, is it a whale, or is it a dolphin? For the ocean enthusiasts amongst us we would have to agree that having a mystical sea creature as their letterbox is a brilliantly fun representation of one’s leisurely pursuits.

Bob Murray, Atawhai

Local trainspotter Bob Murray knew he had struck gold when he stumbled across this letterbox while holidaying in the North Island. With a model railway in his basement and having previously worked as the Founders Park railway general manager, Bob bought the letterbox back to Nelson. He then sandblasted and powder-coated it and then repurposed an old piece of a Model A car as the stand before giving it it’s new home at the start of his driveway. “I found it in a junk shop in Carterton about 10 years ago. It had about six foot of pipe attached to it which I eventually detached with a spanner so I could bring it back.”

Nik and Sonya Walker, Atawhai

When Nik and Sonja Walker moved from Scotland to Nelson in 2010 they found a house they loved but a rotten letterbox that needed an upgrade. So, they decided to add a touch of home and imported an old Scottish street letter box as used by the Royal Mail in the 1950s. To make it even more special, the key they use to unlock the letterbox was once used to unlock the front door of Nik’s grandparents’ flat in Edinburgh. The letterbox has fooled some tourists, once a couple of postcards were “posted” in the box, addressed to… someone in Nik’s hometown of Gelston in Scotland. “It was quite a coincidence”, he says while confirming that he did drop them into an actual post box to ensure they made it there.

Michael Merrick, Atawhai

Lighthouses can be highly symbolic for a lot of people. Often a representation of solidity and stability in a changing world, or a light shining through a storm of sorts, this letterbox stands as a shining beacon on Bay View Rd and serves as a testament to a lifetime love of pharology. Created by Micheal Merrick fifteen years ago, the handcrafted memento is meticulously made from plastic piping, lit by solar power and topped off with a stained-glass enclosure for the lantern.

Anonymous, Atawhai

Standing guard in Atawhai, this cowboy-inspired letterbox was built 31 years ago and has proved to be tougher than nails and as strong as steel. Created by a loving husband for his line-dancing wife, the buckaroo box used to don boots back in the day but it became a victim of the 2022 floods when his footwear was swiped away by the lawlessness of the heavy rains.

Alice Elgar, Maitai

This gorgeous Mill St House letterbox was a housewarming present for Alice Elgar and has taken pride of place at her first home for around eighteen months. “It was made by friends of mine from Wellington, who I go tramping with. I have always wanted a novelty letterbox and they installed it without me knowing!” Named Lola Hut which is the name of her previous cat – the letterbox is modelled after the older style Forestry Service tramping hut, and is painted the same colour as they used to be. The friends made it themselves out of plywood and welded on the metal roof metal for protection.