Broken glass in place of his car was all one Tauranga resident was left with when it was pinched overnight.
He is not alone in experiencing the stress of having a car stolen, with one cop telling him it happened every day in the city.
In the past two years, there have been 7691 car thefts in the Bay of Plenty.
On January 24 Callum Herbison parked his car at the end of his private driveway.
When he left in his van for work the next day, he noticed the Toyota Caldina GTT had gone.
"I thought ... did I park it somewhere else?"
He had not. Herbison contacted Tauranga City Council to see if it had any CCTV footage, and he discovered his car had been stolen overnight.
It was last spotted in Oropi.
"It's long gone."
It was not the first time it had happened; a friend's ute had been stolen from the same place three years before.
While his friend's was found in Hamilton a few weeks later, Herbison has yet to recover his Caldina.
"It is pretty stressful, but more disappointing, really. I was angry the first couple of days but you sort of have to get over that. I try not to stress myself out about it too much."
He was not sure why it was stolen, but figured the driver was hooning around in his new ride - footage caught the car at 2.05am at Fraser Cove, then at 2.08am by Greerton Park.
"He was speeding. Driving like he stole it, which he did."
Herbison had filed a police report, and spoke to a policeman recently: "He was saying every day in Tauranga now there's a car being stolen."
There were 160 cars stolen in the past month in Rotorua, and Dana Watkins understood Herbison's pain first-hand.
She had just gifted her son the family-owned Mazda Demio on a Friday in March, but it had been nicked by the Sunday.
Help from the public meant they were able to find their car. However, the way it had been driven meant it had to be written off, she said.
"You feel so invaded. We had such an emotional day.
"It's so gutting. You go to work every day, and you try and help your kids get on their feet and then some idiot comes and takes that away because they want to go for a joy-ride."
A police spokesperson said police in the Tauranga area were concerned with the number of thefts of motor vehicles and the associated crime occurring as a result.
"This includes incidents such as failing to stop for police and using vehicles to damage property.
"Police urge car owners to make sure their vehicle is secure. While police are regularly patrolling, we cannot be everywhere at once."
While most stolen cars were recovered, they said they were often damaged, and it recognised this is not only disruptive but can be upsetting for many people.
"It is important to ensure that your vehicle is secure to help to avoid the distress and cost associated with car theft."
Between January 2020 and January 2022, 37,396 crimes were committed in Western Bay of Plenty.
Of these, 11,597 were recorded as being theft or related offences, the most common listed.
There were 3209 vehicle thefts recorded.
The latest AMI data revealed this week the Mazda Demio was the country's - and Bay of Plenty's - most stolen car.
Of the 12,000 insurance claims AMI received for vehicle thefts over the past three years, the Demio accounted for 10 per cent of claims, despite only making up 1.5 per cent of the country's fleet.
AMI's claims executive general manager Wayne Tippet said the data served as a reminder to take security precautions and check your insurance details are up to date.
"Our claims data shows that many cars are parked out on the street or outside someone else's property for the night when they are stolen.
"Where possible, park down a driveway or inside a garage, and double-check your car is locked. If there isn't any off-street parking available, try to park your car in a well-lit area, like under a streetlamp."
He said stolen cars were recently increasingly likely to be used in further criminal activity like ram raids.
Just this week a stolen vehicle was used when thieves hit a Whakatāne jewellery store.
Te Puke Community Patrol co-ordinator Margaret Green said a downside of the area was that there were many routes for criminals to take between orchards and other towns.
There had been a "real spate" of car thefts in the past four weeks, she said.
She insisted people lock their cars and sheds, and install security cameras where possible.
Whakatāne Neighbourhood Support co-ordinator Jane Fox said she provided the district's community with a weekly police report of burglaries and thefts.
Car thefts were high at the moment, she said, and they tried to provide tips to people to prevent it from happening to them.
She said there were roughly five or six incidents a week, and three or four burglaries a week.
Watchdog Security Group is based in both Rotorua and Tauranga, and chief executive Brett Wilson said car theft was something staff encountered periodically.
He advised people looked for car brands that were not often targeted.
"Small cars tend to be a bit of a target sometimes because they are easy to get down narrow spaces if police are trying to follow them."
He suggested car alarms, GPS trackers, well-lit parking spaces and models with good in-built security systems.
Top 10 most stolen vehicles across New Zealand*:
1. Mazda Demio – 1176 claims
2. Mazda Atenza (also known as Mazda6) – 774 claims
3. Nissan Tiida – 700 claims
4. Subaru Legacy – 458 claims
5. Mazda Familia – 456 claims
6. Subaru Impreza – 387 claims
7. Toyota Hilux – 384 claims
8. Ford Courier – 264 claims
9. Subaru Forester – 237 claims
10. Honda Civic – 187 claims
* Based on AMI Insurance motor claims data from 2019-2021. Cars are ranked from highest frequency of theft to lowest.
Police advice to keep your car secure
• Invest in an anti-theft system. These can range from a simple steering wheel lock to a full alarm system that will immobilise the car.
• Giving the impression that you have an alarm system will sometimes be enough to deter thieves; stickers on windows or flashing LEDs on the dashboard can be all it takes
• Always lock your car, even when you are parked in your own driveway.
• Never leave your keys in your unattended car, even for a brief moment.
• Avoid leaving valuables like CDs, laptops, mobile phones, GPS devices and iPods in your car. If you have to leave them there, make sure they are out of sight
• When you are parking at night you are more vulnerable to theft. Try to park in well-lit areas and always be aware of what is going on around you. Keep the doors locked at night even when you're in the car.
Be sure it is safe to get out if you are alone and it's dark.
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