Opoho Fiat Tipo over

Amanda Tritschler, of Opoho, in Dunedin, looks at her Fiat Tipo which was deliberately pushed on its side on Wednesday night. Photo by Peter McIntosh.

Her car, a Fiat Tipo, was tipped on its side outside her Opoho flat on Wednesday night by unknown assailants.

"I can see the humour in that my car is called a Tipo ... but it is [a] hassle," the Otago Polytechnic occupational therapy student said.

Miss Tritschler said she heard an unusual noise shortly after 10pm, and was alerted by a neighbour to her problem.

The hatchback, which was covered only by third-party insurance, was parked in Evans St, and had been pushed over the kerb before rolling on its side on the grass verge.

"Luckily, I rely on the Dunedin bus service," Miss Tritschler said while surveying the damage.

The former Christchurch resident moved to Dunedin to study, because the tourism and hospitality business she worked for had struggled after the September earthquake.

Miss Tritschler said she chose Dunedin over other centres such as Auckland and Hamilton because it was safer, and put the incident down to youthful "shenanigans".

"It hasn't put me off the city."

The car, which was extensively damaged, was back on the road yesterday, she said.

Constable Tim Anderson, of North Dunedin, said police were called to a similar incident the same night in Jubilee St, Mornington, where a Honda City was tipped over.

In the Opoho incident, a diesel four-wheel drive was heard leaving the scene.

Police urged anyone who may have seen anyone acting suspiciously to contact police.

A spate of thefts from cars parked in St Clair and South Dunedin has prompted a reminder for residents not to leave valuables in their vehicles.

Eight reports of thefts from cars had been received since Tuesday night, involving a range of items, from car navigation systems and cash to CDs, Senior Sergeant Steve Aitken said.

The same method of entry was used in all cases, and the thefts appeared to be linked, he said.

hamish.mcneilly@odt.co.nz