The operator, who did not want to be named, is now nursing a broken hand, but said it wasn't a fall from the mower that caused the injury but one off the crane.
He admitted it was not the safest method of trimming the hedge, but said it was all done as a bit of a joke.
They wanted to film the stunt, put it on the internet and see how many hits it got, but in the end had no video camera.
"This is how the Waikato boys mow a hedge," the ride-on mower operator told the Waikato Times.
The unusual sight bemused passing motorists. One passer-by, Bart Dinger, said it was a classic case of Kiwi ingenuity.
"A kiwi classic – jandals and all," he said.

source with pic.