An early morning McDonald's trip ended with smashed windows after a man waged war against a drive-thru in Whangārei.

CCTV footage of the violent attack shows a man using both hands to hammer a football-sized rock against the closed server's window at the Raumanga McDonald's.

The man's trail of destruction began around 1.30am after he got into a verbal argument with other customers and staff on August 28.

Lynley Reid, McDonald's owner and operator for Northland, said the man was in the backseat of a grey Nissan Pulsar that pulled up the order machine box.

She said the group in the car started to verbally abuse the staff member taking their order as well as a passing car with teenagers inside.

"They were very, very abusive to the staff trying to serve them through the order taker."

Reid said the group, who could be seen on CCTV holding beer bottles, were on a mission to "smash up things".

Raumanga McDonald's in Whangārei, where the attack took place. Photo / Michael Cunningham

That became apparent when the man caught on camera left the car, jumped over a bank to State Highway 1, and then returned to the drive-thru with a rock plucked from a garden.

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At this point, an employee can be seen in the video locking the server's window as the man raises the rock above his head and takes aim at the glass.

"They're boulders, it was quite a big rock actually," Reid said.

The man lobs the rock against the window four times during the 21-second video, running the width of the road to launch the weapon.

He then appears to slap the window of another customer's car who happened to be travelling down the drive-thru at the same time.

He was not loving it. Photo / Supplied

In the video's final seconds he succeeds in shattering the window and shards of glass spray across the ground.

Reid said the ruckus "wasn't good for the staff to experience" and that the damage was going to cost "quite a bit" to repair.

Fortunately, no staff were hurt and they were able to call the police.

However, the perpetrator fled in the car before officers arrived.

"It's frustrating... why do such a thing to a business?" Reid said.

She is calling on anyone with information about the group or a grey Nissan Pulsar -
registration ZG8443 - to contact police.

People can pass on information by calling 105 or visiting the police website www.police.govt.nz/use-105 and quote reference number 220828/0162.

Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on
0800 555 111.