Where's Nana? Small town Northland postie trying to track down letter recipient

November 13, 2020
A letter sent from Australia "to Nana" in Waipū, with no street number for the address.

Is your Nana expecting a birthday card? A postie in Waipū, Northland, is trying to track down the owner of an unaddressed letter.

The letter was posted in a pink-and-white polka dot envelope, from Australia.

It was simply addressed: "To Nana, St Mary's Road, Waipū, Whangārei, New Zealand".

There was no return address.

Unfortunately, the posties need a bit more information than that to get a letter to its destination. Like the street number of the house.

Waipū postie Barbara Stewart has spent the last week trying to track down the missing Nana.

"I found it so sweet how it was addressed, and quite funny too," she told 1 NEWS.

"There's a Nana out there that's waiting for a birthday card - or maybe not even knowing that the birthday card is coming!"

She's tried everything she can think of: calling the local retirement village, door knocking on the street, even posting in a local community Facebook page.

It's been shared as widely as Australia - where it's thought the letter originated - but Nana still hasn't been found.

"I can honestly say now that I've checked all my batch, which is the village, but the road then goes out into the rural area," Stewart says.

"So I've talked to Steve from the rural delivery and he's more than happy to continue the search."

And Steve has a system, according to Stewart.

In the past, they've left a note with a letter as they attempt to deliver it. The note says to take it if it's yours, or leave it in the letterbox and the posties will pass it on to the next house.

It's hoped he may have better luck tracking down the owner.

As for the effort taken so far, Stewart says it's just something they do in small communities like Waipū. 

"We have the time, everything's a little bit more chilled out when you live in smaller communities," she says.

"You don't mind putting that extra time in, because you most probably know the person it's going to end up at. It is worth it because it's all about human contact and connection."

Stewart still has her fingers crossed the letter will be delivered to its rightful home.

"[My hopes are] Nana can be happy having received a birthday card. And it'll hopefully just really make her day."


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