Paihia food truck La Cocina stolen, recovered 20 km away after community efforts

“You can’t miss this trailer, it’s so big,” Fox said.

“The courage to take something that is 6 meters long, 2 meters high and weighs 1800 kg.

“You wouldn’t miss this thing if you went anywhere. It’s absolutely huge.”

The food truck was custom built in Houston in the United States.

Fox and his mother have been parking it at Te Haumi Beach, festivals, markets and events in Northland for eight years.

Richard Fox's La Cocina food truck was stolen from his driveway in Paihia and recovered a few days later. — Richard Fox’s La Cocina food truck was stolen from his driveway in Paihia and recovered a few days later.

They serve Mexican food such as nachos, burritos and quesadillas, along with hot dogs, bacon and egg rolls, and fish and chips.

It was found about 72 hours later about 12 miles away, just south of Kawakawa.

Fox thanked police and the community for their efforts in recovering the food truck, with hundreds of people sharing the incident on social media.

Approximately $2,000 worth of damage was caused to the exterior fenders and lights, and numerous cooking utensils were missing, including quality knives and stainless steel trays.

Fox said he was glad it was returned, but he felt “violated” by it.

“It’s a total violation of your privacy.

“This is not something you can just take over. This was a pre-planned thing.

“Something needs to be done about the level of crime in Northland.

“I shouldn’t have to turn my house into Fort Knox.”

Thieves also made off with a 1973 Oxford caravan, nicknamed Pixie, owned by a local woman in Kerikeri earlier this year.

It seems Northland offenders have a penchant for cute caravans, food trucks, tiny houses and cabins.

In August, thieves went with one 1973 Oxford caravan, nicknamed Pixie from the estate of a local woman in Kerikeri, who bought the caravan in memory of her late father.

And in May, the owner of the portable construction company Space King called for help in tracking down one of his rental cabins stolen from a property on Marsden Point Rd in Ruakaka.

Victor Smith, which rents out the huts to needy Northlanders for emergency housing, also had a portable hut stolen from Waitangi in 2021.

Police have charged a man in connection with Fox’s missing caravan.

A spokeswoman said police executed a search warrant at an address in Waimio on October 22, the day after it was reported stolen.

A 41-year-old man will appear in the Kaikohe District Court on November 12 charged with two counts of receiving property and unlawfully taking a motor vehicle.

Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with road, lifestyle, business and animal welfare issues.