Cook Islands police are investigating what could be the country's first recorded machete robbery.
The Tex Mart roadside store in Nikao was robbed on Tuesday afternoon by four young men wearing masks and wielding machetes.
They threatened the storekeeper, leaving with packs of smokes and all the notes in the shop till.
Messages of support and outrage have been flooding the stores Facebook page.
Tex Mart is owned by local retailer Teaka'au 'Tex' Tangimetua.
