Icecream thieves make off with $500 of frozen treats from Peria dairy

The Bush Fairy Dairy in Peria was struck by thieves who stole $500 worth of icecreams. Photo / Supplied

It's the type of brazen theft requiring a carefully considered getaway plan.

In the dark of night, thieves took three basket loads of "top brand" icecreams from a community dairy in a tiny Far North town near the Maungataniwha Forest.

Apart from a serious case of brain freeze, thieves had another key factor to consider after smashing their way into the Bush Fairy Dairy in Peria.

Their haul - around $500 of icecream with a particular focus on Kāpiti icecreams, Tip Top, Colossal Trumpets and the full Memphis Meltdown range.

Tiny Peria is miles from anywhere. The Northern Advocate tested the shelf life of an un-refrigerated Kāpiti passionfruit icecream yesterday and discovered it took about 30 minutes before melting to the point of being inedible.

That's roughly the travel time from the dairy to Kaitaia or Mangonui - the closest main centres to Peria.

How to escape with their frozen cargo before it melts?

The puzzle had owner Glen Caughley and her staff stumped yesterday, although unbundling the heist came second to the pain of an injury inflicted on the whole community.

The dairy is as much a community anchor as it is a business, selling local crafts and organic whole foods while also a drop-off point for clothing and a venue for music events on the decking outside.

Since the burglary several residents have come forward to donate items to the community dairy.

Caughley, who is on a pension, is helped by five part-time volunteers because she can't afford to pay staff.

"The whole community gets hurt by something like this," she said.

"Last year the profit was something like $300 so it definitely doesn't make money, it just gives it enough to tick over. Something like this, it's quite a severe hit."

The theft happened at some stage on Monday night. When the shop was opened the following morning at 8am, they found potato chips scattered across the floor – and the missing icecream. The incident was reported to police on Tuesday.

The Bush Fairy Dairy has been running for 17 years and was initially set up as a cooperative.

In April Caughley bought it off her sister Beryl Panther who ran it for seven years and is now running the Far Out Food Caravan which is on site.

Staff member Tess Ostwald said the dairy is a "necessary resource out here".

"There are a lot of people that live alone in Peria and the dairy is a place they can meet and have social interaction.

"This is a shop for the community, no one is trying to make money here. It's just lovely."

Caughley said intruders appeared to have entered by breaking the bottom window of the back door by throwing a chair through it.

"Someone must have been having a party or they might have planned something for the weekend, it was weird thing to do," she said.

"Apart from that nothing else was touched. I'm really sad that someone would violate the dairy this way. We just want our baskets back."