By ABIGAIL CASPARI in Rotorua
Not many would have been happy about the near freezing temperatures this week - except Rotorua's Kinhung Chiu.
The owner of Hong Kong City Takeaways doesn't normally wear a jacket.
But on Tuesday night it was too cold to be without one - and it mayhave saved his life when a knife was held to his throat.
Mr Chiu had his jacket zipped up to the top which, as well as keeping the cold out, provided padding when the knife was swiped across his throat.
At 11.10pm Mr Chiu and his wife Yanling Huang locked up their shop and walked across Amohau St to their car in the Beaurepaires carpark where they were approached by a teenager.
Mr Chiu thought the teenager was going to ask him for a cigarette but the teen suddenly pulled out a knife with a 15cm blade and held it up to Mr Chiu's throat.
"He tell me 'give me money, give me the money'.
"I say 'okay, okay, okay I'll give you the money'."
From inside the van a worried Mrs Huang told her husband to give the teenager the day's takings but Mr Chiu didn't want to part with the hard-earned money.
Pushing the offender away, Mr Chiu took his jacket off and wrapped it around his arm so he could fend off the offender.
Mr Chiu told him the police were on their way and the would-be robber became scared, running off with the knife but none of the couple's money.
Mr Chiu ran after the teenager but lost him.
While Mr Chiu was "a little scared" he reckoned the teenager was more afraid.
The couple rang the police who had no luck catching the teenager. He is described as a Maori, about 1.72m tall, with a "thin" face.
Yesterday, the couple were back at work.
While they were a "bit angry" about what happened, their biggest concern was other people.
They wanted the teenager caught so he didn't go out and try and rob someone else.
Their warning to anyone who has to leave work late at night is to take extra care.
Rotorua police are investigating the robbery.
