Quote:Someone is stealing avocados in New Zealand. Not just picking a handful to make guacamole for a picnic, but driving up to orchards in the dark of night, using rakes to sweep hundreds from trees, collecting them in blankets and driving off to sell them illegally at road stands, grocery stores and small restaurants in Aukland, the country's largest city, according to police.

The problem appears to be one of surging demand and short supply, avocado industry officials say. Traditionally, the soft green pears have been grown largely for export, but local consumers have been rapidly acquiring a taste for them -- just as heavy rainfall in neighboring Australia badly damaged last year's harvest. As a result, the price has more than tripled, reaching as high as $4 per avocado ($6 in New Zealand dollars) and fueling a spate of stealth robberies by enterprising thieves.