Tsunami alert: Central Whangārei businesses lose half a day's income

Cupcakes Northland owner Ashley Telfer was thrilled her stock was sold within 30 minutes after she reopened for business when the tsunami alert was downgraded. Photo / Imran Ali

Selected businesses in central Whangārei decided to reopen once the alert level was downgraded and one made hay, selling its stock within 30 minutes.

Cuppacakes Northland on John St usually sells new stock during the course of the day but yesterday, all were gone in half an hour of reopening in the afternoon.

Owner Ashley Telfer said her staff baked about 80 cupcakes, 40 donuts and other things this morning but had to shut shop due to the alert.

They reopened about 2pm and customers flocked in.

"We've had to restock, we already had them made. I knew, based on how the community responded after a change in Covid alert levels, that all I needed to do was to put it out there and people would come in," she said.

Although she couldn't do coffee sales, Telfer said she was happy with business today.

A spokesman at the Whangārei Rockshop that sells musical instruments also reopened after the alert level was downgraded and said Fridays were their busiest day.

"We had one or two pellets of freight due today but I am not sure they will be arriving now. But at least we are lucky we've been able to open. Our chain of shops in Auckland are trading but have their doors shut."

Owner of Shiraz Indian Restaurant on Walton St, Jas Singh, said he would open his business for dinner from 4.30pm but was unsure how many would turn up.

"It depends whether people will still come into town. They may have made other plans. Business is usually slow after something like this," he said.

Pak'nSave Whangārei reopened at 2.45pm and owner Todd Leathem said all staff returned to work.

"We have a pretty awesome team and they rang to come back to work and they pulled together during yet another potential disaster," he said.

He said despite the disruption, the supermarket would close at the normal time of 9pm.

Northport spokesman Peter Heath said it would be up to the companies working in stevedoring, freight, and import and export at the port to decide when their workers would return to work.

Operations at the port are run 24 hours a day.

Staff and contractors at Refining NZ were evacuated following the tsunami alert and are scheduled to resume work tomorrow morning.