A man has been arrested after a series of incidents around Dunedin today, including sinking a car in the harbour off Port Chalmers early this morning. 

In a statement to social media, police said they were initially called to a submerged car at Peninsula Beach Rd at about 6.30am. 

"It’s believed the man dumped the car and jumped out before it went into the ocean,” the statement said. 

The man then allegedly stole another car from a nearby workplace, but it was recovered by police a few hours later. 

This followed earlier reports of vehicle tampering in Port Chalmers and an attempted break in of a retail store in South Dunedin.

The 28-year-old man was arrested just before 9am after he was discovered breaking into a house on Beach St, police said.

The man is appearing in Dunedin District court facing numerous charges relating to his offending.

The vehicle was recovered from the water by the Otago Regional Council’s harbourmaster and pollution teams.