Police scour video of vandals
Police are scouring video footage to identify and prosecute teenagers who inflicted thousands of dollars worth of damage to a popular Coromandel beachside cafe on New Year’s Eve.
A mob of drunk teens gathered outside Blackies Cafe in Whangamata¯ shortly before 11pm, with some climbing on the roof of the shop.
It was understood the roof of the Williamson Park cafe was smashed, and the shop was broken into with about $5000 worth of goods taken from a freezer, and a few tables smashed.
Police Area Commander Inspector Dean Anderson told Stuff 22 people were arrested after ‘‘alcohol fuelled’’ disorder.
Police were reviewing video footage to identify and interview those responsible, particularly for the damage to the cafe, for prosecution.
Yesterday police arrested and charged a 54-year-old local man with inciting disorderly behaviour. A police spokeswoman said live streaming on social media captured the man inciting disorder.
Anderson said most police officers involved in clearing the crowd received bruises to their legs from bottles hurled at them.
‘‘The main point though is that we had some youths, girls, who had lacerations to their heads after bottles were thrown into the crowd. They had to be carried out and that’s why we stepped in.’’
Anderson said many other beaches saw the New Year in without incident.
Thames-Coromandel Mayor Sandra Goudie hoped the chaotic scenes were a one-off.
She said public toilets nearby were also vandalised over the past couple of nights and it would cost ratepayers up to $200,000 in repairs.
Goudie said estimations were that 400,000 people were in the district this week, exceeding expectations and potentially putting pressure on water and waste collection services.
She said a concert at Joe’s Farm went well without any major problems and
thought it was a case of bored teenagers looking for something to do.
‘‘So we had one controlled event with people enjoying music and entertainment and then on the other hand we have these uncontrolled young people, who have caused a lot of damage.’’
The council would have to ‘‘go back to the drawing board’’ to see if there needed to be a separate event held for young people on New Year’s Eve.
‘‘We previously held a concert in Williamson Park but there were issues and the council didn’t want the sort of riotous behaviour that we had in the early 2000s, it was terrible.
‘‘This has been a different year and we weren’t prepared for this.
‘‘The decisions we made [to manage the district over summer] were pre-Covid and the large number of domestic visitors wasn’t taken into account.’’
Goudie said the district’s 400,000 population this summer was a record.
‘‘Everything is stretched to the max, we’re hanging by the skin of our teeth in terms of water supply, and crossing our fingers we don’t get a fire like Ahipara.
‘‘Key messages to visitors – please conserve water, please be careful on our roads, and do not light a fire in any way shape or form.’’
Whangamata¯ Surf Life Saving Club, which neighbours Blackies Cafe, avoided any damage to its three-storey building.
Club president Gavin Scott said it was operating as normal on a very busy day.