Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Good Samaritan act stuns 'blessed' Fred

By Whare Akuhata
Rotorua Daily Post·
16 May, 2012 10:15 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Rotorua has some really kind people.

That's the view of Ngongotaha resident Fred Haumaha who has benefited from a random act of kindness.

Last Saturday morning, Mr Haumaha was at Bunnings Warehouse in Rotorua buying a tarpaulin to provide cover for work being carried out on his mother's headstone. At the checkout Mr Haumaha said his credit card was declined - "not once but twice".

He left the tarpaulin at the counter and knowing he had money in the bank tried withdrawing cash from a money machine. It was again declined.

He rang his bank to see what the problem was and was told by Kiwibank there was a glitch in the system. Unable to get any money, he went back to the counter and told the assistant he couldn't buy the tarp.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

To his surprise, the assistant told Mr Haumaha two women had paid for it. The assistant said the women had commented that he had been "blessed by God today".

Mr Haumaha said he was blown away.

"I'm just really stunned, grateful and appreciative ...

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I ran out and tried to find them to thank them."

Mr Haumaha spent the weekend working on the gravestone for a hura kohatu (dedication ceremony) to be carried out in the near future.

"With the wet weather we've had the tarpaulin has come in handy. We didn't finish the work on Mum's grave so we are using it to keep it dry."

Mr Haumaha decided to tell The Daily Post as a way of giving thanks to his mystery benefactors.

There have been other random acts of kindness in Rotorua this year to further prove the city's residents are a kind-hearted lot.

This year The Daily Post reported a "total stranger" sitting in the public gallery of the Rotorua District Court paid for the accommodation of a Slovenian man charged with not paying his bill.

When he appeared in court he was told the charge would be dismissed if he paid the $87 bill, but he said he had no money.

A member of the public sitting in court offered to pay it for him.

Shortly before that The Daily Post reported how a Rotorua pensioner was humbled by the actions of a stranger who paid for his groceries when he found he was a bit short at the checkout.

Tony Grabrovaz found the items he needed came to more than he had in the bank and as he stepped to the side to sort what to leave behind, the next customer in the queue gave the shop assistant $20 to pay his bill.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

New Rotorua police beat team to tackle 'big' retail crime issues

03 Jul 07:03 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Heavy rain warnings: BoP acts like 'scoop' for wild weather

02 Jul 09:19 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Heating or eating a tough call for some after rates rise, says councillor

02 Jul 09:13 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

New Rotorua police beat team to tackle 'big' retail crime issues

New Rotorua police beat team to tackle 'big' retail crime issues

03 Jul 07:03 AM

The team comprises five constables and one sergeant, patrolling on foot.

Heavy rain warnings: BoP acts like 'scoop' for wild weather

Heavy rain warnings: BoP acts like 'scoop' for wild weather

02 Jul 09:19 PM
Heating or eating a tough call for some after rates rise, says councillor

Heating or eating a tough call for some after rates rise, says councillor

02 Jul 09:13 PM
Armed police block Rotorua street

Armed police block Rotorua street

02 Jul 09:10 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP