Police accidentally discover stolen vehicles on property

Police investigating another incidentcame across a property with 12 stolen vehicles in the backyard. Photo / File

While investigating a truck fire thought to have been deliberately lit, police came across a property with 12 stolen vehicles in the backyard.

The drama unfolded on Sunday morning when a pig hunter headed back to his truck after a couple of hours hunting at Pipiwai, northwest of Whangarei.

He heard loud booming noises and as he got closer to the vehicle, realised fire had engulfed the truck.

Police officers from Kaikohe were called and visited properties in the area to see if they could locate any witnesses. They came across a property about 3km away and noticed a vehicle with no number plates.

Detective Constable Shawn Parker said that while searching the property, they discovered a large number of vehicles that turned out to have been stolen.

They included four Nissan Skyline cars, a Nissan Condor flatbed truck, a Yanmar digger that had been stolen from a burglary in Kaikohe last year and a Holden Rodeo 4WD stolen from Ruakaka earlier this year.

The next day, day police from Kerikeri and Kaikohe went back to the property to locate the owner but he wasn't there.

After a further search, they found a New Holland tractor worth about $70,000 which had been stolen from Kaikohe last year, another Nissan Skyline, a Honda Foreman quad bike stolen from a farm at Ruatangata, the parts and body shell of a Toyota Celsior and a 1993 Honda Accord that had been stripped of its suspension and other parts.

A 23-year-old man was arrested and charged with theft. He appeared in the Kaikohe District Court yesterday and has been remanded on bail.

Mr Parker said the total value of the stolen vehicles was about $190,000.

Police would like to hear from anyone who witnessed the arson of the truck on Lovatt Road, which they believed occurred sometime between 10.30am and 12pm.

They would also like to hear from anyone who witnessed "comings and goings of vehicles", particularly Nissan Skylines, along Lovatt Road in the last few months.

Anyone with information should call the Kaikohe CIB on 09 405 2960 or, if they want to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.