Wānaka police are warning residents to be vigilant in locking their homes and cars, as a pattern of criminal behaviour hits the town.
Local man Phil Metekingi said he first noticed his sister’s car was missing on Tuesday morning when leaving the house for work.
"I had to think, ‘Did I move the car last night?’ Then I went inside and found the only set of keys, so I knew it had been taken," he said.
After locating the damaged vehicle less than 1km away in Anderson Rd, Mr Metekingi drove it back to his home and notified police.
The white Toyota Opa belongs to Mr Metekingi’s sister who is in the United States, and at the time was unaware of the damage to her car.
Mr Metekingi believed incidents like this happened in a cycle and aligned with the school breaks.
"I think when school finishes the kids get bored and things like this start happening. I see lots of Facebook posts about car break-ins and joyrides," he said.
Senior Sergeant Darren Cranfield said this was consistent with police data, adding it would more than likely be youths going for "joyrides" as they are not theft as such, since the vehicles were being taken for a spin and returned nearby.
On the same night, it was reported to police that youths were trying car doors in central Wānaka, he said.
"There is an ongoing issue with cars being opened up ... and we are probably only hearing about half the incidents out there."
Snr Sgt Cranfield said there had been a spike in such incidents in the past six weeks.
"We had a period for a time earlier this year that they were taking them for a joyride and then parking them in the same spot where they were parked."
He said the winter period had brought in its fair share of youth crime and summer would be no different and so local people would need to be aware.
"I think Wānaka is still a safe haven, but when we get a spike, it is so easy for people because Wānaka is the way it is.
"We tend to leave things unlocked, keys in car and houses unlocked.
"It is so easy for them. They carry on and they can get away with it for a while."
The best prevention for such crime was awareness: locking cars, homes and notifying police after witnessing unsafe activities was key, he said.
"We definitely need to be vigilant in locking our vehicles and make sure there is nothing of value sitting in vehicles people see.
"At night time if you are in a position, watch out for outside lights coming on. Ring us."
Mr Metekingi said the Toyota Opa had been in Wānaka for the past two months after spending 10 years in Wellington.
"I would have expected something to happen to it in Wellington, not here," he said.
He hoped the police forensic team could find who did it and stop it from happening again.
"The people that do this need to get a hobby and cut it out," he said.
The front and rear bumpers were damaged and a backpack with a charger and men’s perfume were left in the vehicle.
He believed access to the vehicle was gained through a passenger door which did not automatically lock with the rest of the vehicle.
A spare key was left in the ignition, which Mr Metekingi said he did not know the vehicle had.
