German backpacker Marvin Rieger, 19, had his car stolen and torched - but says he's had a great response from the Paihia community.
A backpacker staying in Paihia has been left without wheels and out of pocket after a brazen thief stole his car, dumped it and torched it.
However, Marvin Rieger, from Germany, said the response afterwards from the Paihia community had re-affirmed his view of New Zealanders as the friendliest peoplehe'd met.
The 19-year-old, who is nine months into a working holiday, was working as a dishwasher on Friday night when his dorm room at Bay Adventurer on Kings Rd was burgled.
Items taken included the keys to Rieger's Toyota Tercel and a backpack with a passport belonging to Greg Tasker from Liverpool. A laptop and a credit card were taken from other travellers staying in the room.
The first Rieger knew was when he went to lend his car to a friend on Saturday morning and couldn't find his keys. Then he realised his car was missing too — CCTV showed it had been taken at daybreak from the hostel car park — and roommates noticed their property was also missing.
German backpacker Marvin Rieger with fellow travellers and all that's left of his car after it was stolen and torched. Photo / Peter de Graaf
The thief was especially brazen because a guest was asleep in the room at the time and others were sitting in a nearby courtyard.
Rieger called police and had a depressing day filling in reports and wondering how he was going to continue his travels without a car. At 9am on Sunday police returned to the hostel.
''They said, 'We have bad news for you, we have found your car'. I said, 'Why is that bad?', and they told me it had been burnt out.''
Police discovered the stolen credit card had been used to buy tobacco at Caltex Waitangi and, ironically, three pizzas at the very bar where Tasker was working.
Adding insult to injury, Rieger learned he was legally responsible for the costs of removing the wreck — up to $300 — from a parking area at Mt Bledisloe near Waitangi.
On Monday, however, Tim Newman, a King's Rd bar manager, put up a Facebook post about Rieger's plight.
''It just exploded ... someone wanted to give me $100, other people offered to come by and give me stuff, or organise to get it towed. They were really annoyed and said it [the theft] wasn't a good way to represent the town. It was crazy. I really like the community here.''
Rieger said he was grateful to everyone who had responded, but especially Newman and Haruru Falls man Bruce Gordon who arranged to have the wreck removed.
Meanwhile, Tasker is hoping he can apply for a new passport online and get it posted to him from the UK.
Both said the incident hadn't soured their view of New Zealand.
''There's a few bad people everywhere you go,'' Tasker said.
Rieger agreed though he was sorry to lose the car, which was old but ''amazing''. He had kept a piece of metal as a souvenir and was considering getting a small tattoo of the car as a reminder.
Police are investigating. It is believed they know the offender.
