A man has been arrested after five central Wellington shops had windows smashed or damaged overnight.
Workers at Wholly Bagel and TJ Superette on The Terrace arrived to find broken glass on the ground and holes shattering windows.
TJ Terrace Superette owner Rekha Patel said she came in early and saw a lot of glass everywhere.
Patel said it didn't look like anything had been taken but she was really scared.
"I looked at the glass outside and I thought it's something maybe someone broke (a) bottle or something."
She said two customers helped her get in and check the store.
Photo: RNZ / Pretoria Gordon
Wholly Bagels owner Junwei Hu said the damage had been been done on purpose with "lots of force".
He said he had no idea why someone would break holes in the windows and push mushrooms through to the shop floor.
"There's quite a bit (of) mushrooms... I don't know how they did it, but like, it's inside everywhere. Maybe they squashed through the hole."
The shop's alarms weren't triggered, he said.
Police said a passerby reported a smashed window about 3am and they were following up with the premises.
Photo: RNZ / Pretoria Gordon
In an update, police said a 48-year-old man has been charged with wilful damage and other related matters.
He would appear in Wellington District Court on Tuesday.
A dairy on Lambton Quay also had windows damaged.
Security footage at Lambton Mart showed the glass was shattered by a hammer, manager Mayank Patel said. Cards similar to bank cards had been dropped inside.
Shattered windows at Wholly Bagels on The Terrace, Wellington, on 2 September 2024 after gunshots were reported overnight. Photo: RNZ / Pretoria Gordon
Clothing store Coco Wellington on Willis Street had three holes in its window, shattering the glass, and cosmetics retailer Mecca on Lambton Quay was also hit.
Police are investigating whether the incidents are linked.
The hammer hit a letter 'o' on the Lotto logo at Lambton Mart, Patel said.
The same part of the Lotto logo at TJ Superette was targeted, as was the letter 'o' at Coco Wellington and in the word 'Hottest' on the window of Mecca on Lambton Quay.