Dunedin musician robbed of valuable instruments

Dunedin musician Mike Moroney (left). Photo / Facebook

Dunedin musician Mike Moroney was "a little bit dumbstruck" when he arrived home on Wednesday evening to find that burglars had stolen seven of his stringed musical instruments.

And they had also taken jewellery belonging to his wife, including inherited items, such as a butterfly-shaped piece from Japan.

"There's something about going around your house and seeing things out of place that is extremely disconcerting."

The instruments, two mandolins, two fiddles, bass guitar, 12-string electric guitar and parlour guitar, were valued at more than $5000.

He had insurance cover, but the worst thing about the loss of the instruments was the sentimental value linked to two of them.

The parlour guitar had been a gift from him to his wife, Bernadette Moroney.

And one mandolin had been handmade by a Dunedin friend and instrument maker Steve Barkman.

Mr Moroney is a member of musical groups The Chaps and Catgut and Steel and is president of the New Edinburgh Folk Club.

He hoped that whoever had taken the items was ultimately "stopped in their tracks" by the police, to prevent the same thing happening to other people.

It was "not the end of the world" and he would still be able to perform music, but the situation was "frustrating" and distressing.

On the other hand, he had been "overwhelmed" by a huge amount of support from fellow musicians all over the city, who had been emailing him and contacting him via social media since they heard his instruments were gone.