A Northland family's houseboat retreat in the Bay of Islands has been stripped bare by thieves who stole up to $10,000 worth of equipment — including a sleep apnoea machine, an outboard motor and all their fishing gear.
The houseboat, moored over 100m offshore at Ōpua, had been used by the Ross family as a gathering place for the whānau since they built it 14 years ago.
"It's kind of a family spot where we can all get together, we fish off the back and catch our food, so it's quite good," said Karen Ross.
The houseboat had been set up for the needs of the family, including solar panels, batteries and a generator to power a TV for two grandchildren and a sleep apnoea machine for her husband Ken — without which he cannot sleep on the boat.
The family discovered something was wrong last week after a friend urged them to check on the vessel.
A neighbour ferried a police officer out to the houseboat, where he photographed the scene and collected clothing left behind by the intruders.
But it wasn't until the Ross family visited themselves that they realised the full extent of the theft.
The family estimates that between $8000 and $10,000 worth of property was stolen.
Among the missing items were a generator, a new outboard motor, solar equipment, batteries and fishing gear.
Power tools, gas cylinders, a chilly bin full of alcohol and Ken Ross' sleep apnoea machine were also taken.
The stereo and television had been ripped from the wall but left hanging behind.
'You couldn't fit it on a kayak'
The family remains baffled as to how thieves managed to remove a heavy generator, an outboard motor and a chilly bin full of alcohol from a houseboat sitting more than 100m offshore.
"Everybody around us, a lot of us that live on our boats there, nobody heard anything."
Two kayaks were initially missing before later being found abandoned in nearby mangroves, but Ross does not believe they were used to transport the stolen goods.
"Our thinking is the big generator weighs a lot, and you couldn't fit it on a kayak, and then the outboard motor wasn't light," she said.
Ross believes whoever carried out the theft likely arrived by boat and may have used poor weather as cover.
"They would have had to have a reasonable boat to take what they've taken, especially all of it in one go."
The thieves had disabled security lights by cutting, breaking, or burying them under blankets.
"With the curtains pulled and without our lights coming on, you could easily have a torch in there and not be seen from the outside."
Even the sawdust from the composting toilet was tipped on the floor to use the bucket to put stolen items in, she added. A box of aerosol cooking gas canisters was taken, along with a box of toilet paper.
"I think they ran out of room."
Police confirmed it had received a report of several items being stolen from a boat in Ōpua on May 28. Police believe the theft occurred between May 20 and 23.
"Unfortunately, at this stage, it doesn’t look like there are any avenues of enquiry to enable us to identify the person/s responsible. But if anyone has information which could assist, they’re asked to report it via 105."
The family now had to rebuild their supplies from scratch, first buying three new fishing rods and some bait so they could at least catch their dinner.
"We're gonna have to save up," Ross said.
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