Police are investigating after a car was set alight in Welcome Bay overnight.
A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said a crew was called to the scene of a car well-involved in flames on Waitaha Rd, Welcome Bay about 3am on Saturday.
He said it took a crew about 25 minutes to extinguish the blaze.
The fire was being treated as suspicious and police were investigating, he said.
Chatter on a Tauranga noticeboard had some Welcome Bay residents saying they woke to the sound of tyres popping in the blaze or the fire crew arriving.
One nearby neighbour said he somehow managed to sleep through it all.
Inquiries were ongoing into the blaze, a police spokeswoman said.