Kaitaia tobacconist Raymond Jujnovich didn't have much to defend himself with when he was confronted by a knife-wielding robber early yesterday morning, so he made do with what was at hand - an unoccupied rabbit cage.
Mr Jujnovich said he was taken by surprise when he looked up from reading the NZ Herald to see the man, armed with a fish filleting knife, standing behind the counter, demanding that he be given "some legals". (The business is Kaitaia's only permitted seller of legal synthetic drugs).
Surprise was quickly succeeded by outrage, however. Having recovered his equilibrium, he picked up the cage, to give himself some protection from the knife, and suggested the robber leave his shop. He did so, at speed, running down the alleyway between the shop and the Kaitaia Hotel, disappearing in the direction of McDonald's.
Mr Jujnovich said later that he wished he had continued his pursuit, but "he was fast".
It was all over in 10 or 15 seconds, he added.
