Ms Torea never imagined they would be back for a second round just three days later - breaking a window in her bedroom and making off with children's school bags, food supplies, jewellery, perfume, a second TV, Freeview box - even the pillows off her bed.
"It was just horrible, it was like the week from hell," she said.
The third time, a lock on her shed was cut. Nothing was stolen but there were blood drips of unknown origin left on the door of an outside freezer.
"I just panicked ... when I got home I was like 'three times in just over a week? - that must be the worst luck ever'," she said.
It was a devastating blow for the solo parent, who works part time at Custom Care Nursing doing rehab with tetraplegic patients in the pool, and running errands with a woman three days a week during school hours.
"It's everything I worked so hard to get," Ms Torea said.
"They took food from my children, took their school bags, the microphones for my daughter's karaoke machine.
"They ransacked the house, took my Christmas and birthday presents from my kids."
They also took a stash of her 10-year-old son's medication, which was kept in a secure place.
With no contents insurance, it would take time to slowly replace everything.
In the short term she had to apply for a food allowance after her pantry and freezer were raided.
Despite changing all the locks and having deadbolts installed throughout the three-bedroom home, she had not been able to sleep in her own bed since, instead bunking down with her 12-year-old daughter.
Rest didn't come easy - she kept a knife under her pillow and two phones on stand-by.
"I was pretty nervous when I wasn't home, I was nervous coming home, then when I got home I was at my brother's and they did it again."
Police confirmed yesterday they had been called to all three break-ins, taking fingerprints as well as swabs of blood from the shed. Investigations into the unusual incident continued.
"There's no specific crimewave that I'm aware of in that vicinity - either she's been particularly unlucky or more likely the offenders have not been in a position to take everything at once and returned a second time," district deployment manager Inspector Matt Broderick said.
"It's very rare they return to the scene of the crime but it does happen occasionally".
It was also uncommon for one person to be victimised with such frequency and in such a short space of time.
Mr Broderick said it was an important reminder for people to mark property so it could be easily identified.
