K-Road sex sign theft: $10k reward offered by ‘distraught’ owners of vintage neon ‘Adult Shop’ sign

A $10,000 “no questions asked” cash reward has been offered for the return of a vintage neon sex shop sign from Auckland’s historic red light district K-Road, after it was stolen by thieves in balaclavas.

The vintage neon sign “Exclusive Adult Shop” was hanging outside what is now a camera and film shop, The Film Lab, when it was stolen at 12.30am on Sunday.

The property manager, Patrick Walsh, says the owner of the building itself - which is one of New Zealand’s last remaining three-storey Victorian blocks - is devastated by the loss.

“[The owner] is distraught at losing a piece of Auckland’s infamous red light history and wishes to offer a $10,000 ‘no questions asked’ reward for its safe return,” Walsh said.

“During the 70s and 80s, this part of Auckland was the red light district, famous for The Pink Pussycat Club and the Las Vegas showgirl billboard amongst other things. Virtually nothing still exists of this part of Auckland’s history - and now this stolen sign may also be lost forever.

“Even [the] building is an incredible part of history - it is New Zealand’s last remaining three-storey Victorian block.”

The tenant of the property reported the theft to the landlord yesterday.

“We realised yesterday that the Adult Shop sign was missing from outside. I had been in contact with the K Road Business Association to try to get funding to get it repaired, so thought there may be a slight chance that it had been taken for repair,” the shop tenant wrote in an email.

“However, I just had someone come into the shop today and told me they witnessed it being stolen at about 12.30am on Sunday morning.”

A nearby K-Road restaurant worker told The Film Lab tenant they were locking up early Sunday morning “when she saw three people wearing balaclavas take the sign. Saw them walk the sign down the street and put it into a vehicle.”

“We only have a camera facing into the shop, and the liquor store owner next door only has 24hr outdoor cameras, so we don’t have any video evidence of this,” the tenant wrote.

Anyone with any information should get in touch with the Manukau Branch of Barfoot & Thompson and ask for Patrick Walsh.