Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Tauranga man believes 'experienced thieves' stole beloved race car trailer

Bay of Plenty Times
22 Jul, 2019 02:29 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Security footage of a Tauranga man's beloved trailer stolen.

A Tauranga man is convinced a group of experienced trailer thieves are operating in the Bay of Plenty, following the theft of his beloved race car trailer.

Chris Hawkes was having the day off work on Friday to attend a friend's funeral, leaving the house a little later than normal.

He left his house in Windermere around 8am and noticed his race car trailer had been taken.

After scouring CCTV footage he found the thieves had only been around an hour earlier.

Although Hawkes caught the entire theft on camera, he was unable to find any identifying features on the vehicle or occupants.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The car had no number plates and the thieves were all wearing hoodies with flashlight belts around their waists.

Chris Hawkes' trailer was stolen from his address in Windermere. Photo / Supplied
Chris Hawkes' trailer was stolen from his address in Windermere. Photo / Supplied

"These guys had definitely done this before."

He said the car drove up to his trailer at around 4am on Friday morning but Hawkes had a number of locks on the trailer, which made it difficult for the thieves to take it.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The car left and then came back at around 7am with bolt cutters, managing to detach the trailer and put it on their vehicle in just a few minutes.

"They must have been experienced."

Hawkes said it was bold of them as they came back at a time when he was normally around and if he had been going to work that day, he would have caught them.

Security camera footage of the trailer theft.  Photo / Supplied
Security camera footage of the trailer theft. Photo / Supplied

Funnily enough, his neighbour drove in around a minute after the thieves left, he said.

Discover more

$2k raised to replace top bloke's stolen trailer

10 Jun 08:04 AM

'I'm grinning hard': Community gem rapt with new trailer

20 Jun 06:00 AM

Whakamarama drama: Man in custody after stolen vehicle abandoned

29 Jun 11:24 PM
Crime

Granddaughter's plea: 'Irreplaceable' locket stolen in Tauranga burglary

16 Jul 12:24 AM

"They would've just looked like a standard car towing a trailer."

Hawkes said police had managed to track the car up until the Bombay Hills near Auckland then lost sight of it.

In his opinion, these people were the types that would steal trailers and sell them on in places like Auckland.

He said he was told if he did not get it back within the next week, then it wasn't likely he would.

However, Hawkes has many friends in the racing industry and was harnessing the power of social media to make sure everyone had their eyes out for it on the streets and online.

Hawkes said he believed trailer thefts were becoming more common in the Bay of Plenty.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

According to New Zealand Police data, a total of 92 trailers had been stolen in the Bay of Plenty over the last six months - more than a quarter of the total number of stolen vehicles.

In June, community gem Jase Lunn had his trailer stolen from an address in Judea.

Lunn was well known in Tauranga for helping people out through initiatives such as his annual Christmas toy runs for needy families, something he would use the trailer for.

The community rallied around Lunn to help him out after the trailer was stolen.

A police spokeswoman said there had been no arrests for the incident and inquiries were ongoing.

She said when it came to trailer thefts, it was all about prevention first and often trailers were simply parked in front of houses and garages with no security mechanisms in place.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She said people were advised to use locks, wheel clamps and chains to keep their trailer extra secure and keep them in secure, well-lit and hidden areas.

They also advise people to mark their trailer with something unique and identifiable, as it will be easier to identify if stolen.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Sport

'My moment': NZ-born boxer becomes first Māori to be crowned undisputed world champ

12 Jul 03:58 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Puchner makes history with silver at U23 canoe slalom world titles

12 Jul 03:37 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

One taken to Tauranga Hospital after SH29 crash

12 Jul 02:27 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'My moment': NZ-born boxer becomes first Māori to be crowned undisputed world champ

'My moment': NZ-born boxer becomes first Māori to be crowned undisputed world champ

12 Jul 03:58 AM

In her debut at Madison Square Garden, the 30-year-old produced a 'total beatdown'.

Puchner makes history with silver at U23 canoe slalom world titles

Puchner makes history with silver at U23 canoe slalom world titles

12 Jul 03:37 AM
One taken to Tauranga Hospital after SH29 crash

One taken to Tauranga Hospital after SH29 crash

12 Jul 02:27 AM
Landslide sparks evacuations, roads closed, homes flooded after storm

Landslide sparks evacuations, roads closed, homes flooded after storm

12 Jul 12:43 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP