Stolen Subaru Legacy in ocean at Peka Peka Beach

A car submerged in the sea at Peka Peka Beach. Photo / Brett Waite

A stolen car stuck in the sea at Peka Peka Beach, north of Wellington, is proving difficult to extract.

Peka Peka Beach resident Brett Waite contacted police after noticing the white 2001 Subaru Legacy on Sunday July 7.

"On the morning I discovered it I rang police and they asked that I check no one was inside so I dived in and felt all the seats but did not check the boot."

He said Wellington Regional Council had brought in two diggers to try and remove the car but hadn't been successful.

Mr Waite had marked the car's location with a bouy and put up a sign at the beach accessway entrance alerting people to the situation.

A bouy marks a stolen car submerged in the sea at Peka Peka Beach. Photo / David Haxton

He feared the regional council might be running out of options and rising recovery costs could stop attempts to remove the car.

"As a Peka Peka beach resident we ultimately don't won't the car to stay due to the hazard for the sea but also the many kids and adult surfers/swimmers/fisherman that use the beach daily.

"We have also been trying to get a gate added to the entrance to stop people using the beach at night as we have had trouble in the past with rubbish dumping or cars doing stupid things."

He was going to put a request out to the community "to try and get some more bouys on chains and attach it to the car as I fear the rope one I have attached might break away and the car will get lost when it moves due to the currents".

Mr Waite thought the car was probably dumped on the evening Saturday July 6 and the person had driven it as far into the sea as possible.

He said the car's registration had washed up onshore and a check via the CarJam website showed the car as stolen.

A regional council spokesman said the car was "well submerged in sand and very difficult to extract".

"We've had two goes at it with a digger but we now have to wait until a very low tide which will be about a week.

"A buoy has been attached to it though it doesn't pose a particular navigation hazard.

"Once recovered the car will be handed over to the police.

"There is no environmental pollution at the site."