Bruce McKenzie rubbed his caffeine-free eyes and realised he wasn’t just seeing things.

His coffee cart really had been stolen from the front of his Napier home.

McKenzie, the owner of Boost Espresso’s five food and coffee wagons that feed and provide coffee for Hawke’s Bay residents at the Napier Farmers’ Market, Marine Parade Market, and Park Island, rushed straight to his security system to see what had happened.

He looked, stunned, as the footage showed a thief breaking off the trailer lock about 9pm on Wednesday. They then hitched up the coffee cart onto a vehicle with a towball, and drove off.

A thief makes off with the Boost coffee cart in Napier. Photo / Supplied

McKenzie said the cart was usually parked elsewhere but was at the Cumberland Rise address for around a week because he was between jobs.

Also at the address were four other food and coffee wagons, that he takes to the Napier Farmers’ Market, Marine Parade Market, and Park Island.

“It’s a bit sad really because it was the original caravan the one that started all my other wagons off, and got me to where I am now.

“I try not to let these things get me down but you work hard to get what you’ve got, and then people take it for their own.”

He thought the cart was stolen to have the equipment inside it stripped and sold off, and hoped it would be dumped somewhere for them to find.

“There is probably $15,000 worth of equipment inside - a coffee machine, grinder, press, and other little bits and pieces that add up.”

McKenzie said a generator that he used to power a coffee cart and give out free coffee in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle was stolen from his ute during that time.

“There are just some low-life scums out there.”

Bruce McKenzie thought his cart had been stolen to be stripped of parts. Photo / Paul Taylor

He was working with neighbours to get further footage and was considering getting tracking tags to put inside his other carts and wagons.

“I’d say it will turn up on the side of the road somewhere in the next week once they have stripped it out.”

McKenzie said he was looking on the bright side of things where he could.

“You can get frustrated, but it doesn’t bring it back or help.”

A police spokesperson said they had received a report of a coffee cart being stolen on Cumberland Rise, Napier and were making inquiries.

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings and Central Hawke’s Bay newsrooms. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and has a love for sharing stories about farming and rural communities.