Suspicious man caught filming kids

A man caught filming school children from his car has sparked a warning for parents to be on the lookout.

The man was seen on Tuesday and Wednesday by a 17-year-old Aquinas College student as she got off from her school bus at the northern Ohauiti Rd bus stop.

"He was filming me and my little brother so I took my cellphone out and took his number plate down," the girl told the Bay of Plenty Times.

"When I did that, he put his camera away, started his car and drove away.

"I thought that was weird. Then I saw him again [Wednesday]."

The girl, who the Bay of Plenty Times has chosen not to name, said the man drove a silver hatchback, used a video recorder and looked to be in his 70s.

"It just looked kind of off. There was just something about him and the camera in his hand," she said.

"The first day he was in the front seat of his car and the second day he was in the back of his car.

"I thought it was creepy. My little brother thinks I'm overreacting but I thought it was weird that he reacted really quickly when I took my cellphone out".

The man and car were not at the same spot yesterday afternoon.

The girl's mother told the police. She was concerned he might target other school children.

"It's a bit weird. It's not normal.

"Why is someone filming at a bus stop?

"It just makes me feel very uncomfortable."

The woman said she wanted people to be aware.

"When she said that as soon as she got her phone out and got a photo that the camera was pulled away, that, to me, is guilt," the woman said.

Aquinas College principal Ray Scott said the matter was unsettling and encouraged people to record details and tell police.

"She has done the right thing, even just to scare him off."

Mr Scott was out of town and had not been aware of the matter.