It was the kind of call no business owner wants to receive in the early hours of the morning.
Janine Pearce and her husband Rod were at home in Te Puke when their alarm monitoring company told them their jewellery store in Rotorua was being burgled and the police hadbeen notified.
It is not the first time the business has been the target of criminals.
The Rotorua Jewellers owners were told their shop's alarms were triggered at 12.38am.
"We dialled into the shop's [camera feeds] from our phones to see what was going on," Janine Pearce told the Rotorua Daily Post.
Pearce said they couldn't see the offenders' faces.
A police spokeswoman said they were investigating a burglary at a commercial premises on Tutanekai St that took place at about 12.40am. Rod and Janine arrived at the destroyed store at 1.30am.
Pearce was with the police forensics team when she spoke to the Rotorua Daily Post today.
"We're gutted," she said.
"It's been really hard. Covid has kicked us in the guts for two years and it is so hard to keep going.
"We don't understand how people could do this and be so destructive."
Pearce said it was important for customers to know that only front-of-house stock had been stolen, including jewellery and watches.
Any pieces the shop was holding for repairs were safe and had not been touched.
The Pearce family's personal home has also been attacked by thieves. In January 2020, the couple lost $10,000 worth of treasured gear and family photos when the shed on their property was cleared out.
The couples' Te Puke Jewellery store has also been the scene of a crime.
In 2007, a man hammered the shopfront window until he created a hole big enough to reach through and stole two rings. In 2009, the same store was the site of an armed hold-up.
Pearce said messages for support had poured in.
"Someone from Scope Cafe came over and brought us coffee," Pearce said.
"He even offered us breakfast.
"The [jewellery] shop is more than just the shop. It's the people. This is a great community. So we need to move past this."