A man with an iron rod poking out of his head drove to the only open shop in a small North Island town and calmly walked up to the counter to raise the alarm.
Katikati Caltex owner Lester Gray said it was a ghoulish sight for his workers when Adam Armitage, blood streaming from the wound, came into his store early yesterday.
"It was like a Halloween prank," he said.
"It just looked like he was wearing a gruesome mask."
Armitage, 23, propping up the rod with one hand, stunned the cashier by calmly asking her if she could phone the police.