Shocked members of the public watched as the loader ploughed into Kitchener’s Cafe in Martinborough late on Friday night while trying to strike at a neighbouring ATM.
Kitchener's Cafe in Martinborough, Wairarapa, says the front of its building is seriously damaged after a digger ram-raided it. Photo / Kitchener's
A witness, who wished not to be named, earlier described the driver as “dressed entirely in black, hood up and face entirely covered”.
The witness said the driver tried to ram the ATM, before walking towards the nearby Cool Change Bar & Eatery, which locked its doors and made its customers hide in the back.
“The desperado then calmly hopped out of the cab, went through the rather massive hole in the Kitchener Cafe facade, stayed there a few seconds then walked up the street toward us.
“It was horrible to witness and sad to think about in the aftermath.”
Damage to Kitchener's Cafe in Martinborough, Wairarapa after a front-end loader raided it. Photo / Kitchener's
Today, South Wairarapa mayor Martin Connelly said he was told the cafe was at least partially reopening after a huge community effort to clean up the damage and mess.
“I was there on Saturday morning when everything was being tidied up and there was a tremendous community effort to get everything back to, I suppose you would say, a safe condition,” he said.
There was “a lot of mess and rubble all tidied up by lunchtime”.
“I’ve had a message this morning that the Kitchener’s Cafe will be back to at least selling coffee and takeaways either today or tomorrow ... you will imagine they will probably have more business than they’ve had forever.
“You’ll probably be stepping over a few broken bits of pavement as you get in, and there’s a hell of a hole in the wall, but nobody’s going to mind and everybody’s just going to be so delighted that they’ve been able to get back.”
Connelly said people were “shocked and appalled” this could happen to the “village institution”.
He said Kitchener’s was one of those cafes that all the locals went to.
A front-end loader ram-raided a cafe and attempted to strike a nearby ATM on Kitchener St in Martinborough in the Wairarapa.
Kitchener’s made a post on Facebook yesterday saying the building was “patched up enough to safely open”.
“We’ll see you tomorrow,” they wrote.
The post was flooded with positive comments from locals.
“Even a f***ing front-end loader doesn’t stop us from giving you the best service and kai ... legends,” wrote one person.
“Absolutely gutted and furious that this happened to you guys,” wrote another. “But the way that the tradies of town rallied round to help you just makes me want to cry. That’s the spirit of the lovely town Martinborough really is. See you tomorrow. I think you might need to double your usual Monday stock.”
Police said they attended a robbery of a commercial premises in Martinborough about 11.40pm that night where a front-end loader was used to enter the building.
“Inquiries to locate the offender and determine the circumstances of the incident are ongoing.”
Police ask anyone with information to contact them online or at 105 and use the reference number 241116/2640.
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