A hooded man who held up Cherry Grove Dairy in Havelock North with a tomahawk yesterday, was foiled by dairy owners who wrestled his weapon from him.
A female Chinese attendant, who speaks little English was alone in the store about 3pm when a man dressed in a grey hoody and dark pants entered and threatened her with the axe.
He also made demands, which she could not understand.
The woman took matters into her own hands and set upon the offender, while yelling for her husband who was out the back of the dairy.
"The female shop assistant struggled with him and was calling for her husband for help," Hastings Detective Sally Patrick said.
"Her husband came out, there was a tussle between the three of them and they managed to get the weapon.
" The offender ran off and we can confirm nothing was stolen."
A witness driving along Napier Road saw a man fitting the description of the offender run from the dairy and get into a light silver car parked across the road.
"I saw him running toward a vehicle, then it looked like someone was holding someone else and there was a bit of an altercation," the witness said.
A second witness, Beth McFedries, was sitting at an intersection when she saw the same light silver car driving erratically away from the scene.
"The car was screaming down the road, I'm not sure how many people were in it, but it was sitting pretty low to the ground."
The dairy was cordoned off and closed for the evening and an interpreter was called to get a statement from the owners.
The dairy is open for business again today.
In another incident at a Gull service station in Napier yesterday, a pair of would-be robbers were foiled by doors which had been closed as a security measure.
Detective Phil Sayers said the incident happened about 12.48am at Gull service station near the Taradale and Hyderabad roads roundabout.
The service station was open for service, though the main doors were closed and purchases could be made through a window drawer.
The pair, one carrying a blue bag and the other possibly carrying a weapon, tried to force the doors open but when they failed they fled in the direction of the Napier Fire Station and possibly a getaway vehicle.
One wore blue jeans and the other dark pants. Each had dark shoes, a black hooded top, and a red bandanna concealing their faces.
Anyone with information on either of the crimes should contact Crimestoppers 0800-555111.