Robbery thwarted
A would-be robber fled empty-handed after his attempted crime was thwarted by a staff member at Ohaeawai Dairy. Sergeant Phil Le Comte, of Mid North police, said a disguised male entered the dairy about 2pm on Sunday, approached staff behind the counter and demanded money.
A scuffle ensued between one of the owners and the offender, who fled north on State Highway 1 towards Okaihau in a stolen Subaru. Nothing was taken and shop staff were uninjured, Le Comte said. He appealed for any sightings of the getaway vehicle, a white 2001 Subaru Legacy with registration EMQ929, stolen in August from Onerahi in Whangārei. Call Kerikeri police on (09) 407 9211 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 with any information. The offender was described as aged 20-25 years old, slim, about 5 foot 10 inches tall (178cm). He was wearing gloves, a hoodie and a bandanna across his face. In June this year a burglar cut through two padlocks, jemmied a door, then cut through another padlock on a security gate inside the dairy before making off with a large amount of stock plus three notebooks containing messages and autographs from store visitors over the previous 25 years.
Water outage
Households in Opua and Te Haumi were without water most of the day yesterday after a broken water main cut supplies about 10am. By 3pm contractors had narrowed down the location of the leak but had yet to find it, meaning repairs were still several hours away. From 4pm the Far North District Council was planning to park a water tanker at the Roadrunner Tavern on State Highway 11 between Opua and Paihia, so residents could fill containers with water for drinking and cooking until normal supplies were restored.
