A tiny home and trailer was stolen from the Waltham property in Christchurch around September 30. Photo / Facebook
A man has been charged after a house disappeared from a Christchurch family property last week.
The tiny home is believed to have been stolen sometime between last Sunday and Monday, September 30.
The owners of the property appealed on Facebook in a desperate effort to find the stolen house.
“With a heavy heart I am seeking information on a tiny home stolen from our family property in Beckenham, Christchurch,” they said.
“It’s incredibly sentimental to me, as it was my mum’s home for years before she went into dementia care. It contains special items such as my mum’s artwork, and other Finnish things special to me. It was a home.”
They believed more than one person must have been involved.
“A huge job to have moved this - they removed six metres of fence and must have had a reasonable vehicle for towing, and a number of people involved,” they said.
The tiny home was spotted on the side of the road in the Opawa area last Monday afternoon.
“Please watch out for me, if you are in the Christchurch area. They have had five days to make it look very different,” the post said.
Now, after multiple lines of inquiry, police say they found the tiny home and trailer during a search.
“A 40-year-old man is due to appear in Christchurch District Court, charged with burglary,” said a police spokesperson.
“Police would like to thank everyone who provided us with information that has helped us hold this alleged offender to account.”
In March this year, a $120,000 tiny house pod was stolen from Katikati and was later found near Rotorua.
In July 2023, an Auckland tiny home construction company had one of their houses stolen for a time as well - only for police to find it in the middle of a busy West Auckland road.
Katie Oliver is a Christchurch-based multimedia journalist and breaking news reporter.
Parents of the West Auckland primary school have been told not to make contact.