Thieves allegedly steal up to $30,000 of items including passports from tourist bus in Coastal Otago

Police say a tourist bus was broken into. Photo / File

A group travelling in what police say was a stolen rental car allegedly broke into a tourist bus and took up to $30,000 of items, including passports and wallets, from a remote coastal area at the weekend.

Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond said police were called to Shag Point, outside Palmerston and about 60km north of Dunedin, at 12.50pm on Sunday.

He said a tourist bus had parked up while its occupants were out viewing the beach.

While unattended, another car arrived and its occupants allegedly broke into the bus, taking between $20,000 to $30,000 of items, including wallets, bags, and passports.

Bond said the bus was equipped with CCTV which identified the vehicle the suspects arrived at the area in.

The tourist bus was parked at Shag Point, Otago, when it was allegedly broken into and up to $30,000 worth of items, including passports, were stolen. Image / Google Maps

Following lines of inquiry, police discovered the vehicle was a rental from Christchurch that had been hired for only 30 minutes that Friday, and since been reported stolen.

The rental agency used GPS to track the vehicle to Timaru, where its three occupants were subsequently arrested just 40 minutes later.

A 34-year-old man was charged with unlawfully getting into a motor vehicle, wilful damage, theft ex car, and possession of cannabis and meth.

A 28-year-old man was charged with unlawfully getting into a motor vehicle and theft ex car, and a 26-year-old woman was charged with unlawfully getting into a motor vehicle and receiving stolen property.

All three are appearing in the Timaru District Court today.

The majority of the stolen wallets, bags, money, and passports, were recovered and returned to the tourists, Bond said.

Ben Tomsett is a Multimedia Journalist for the New Zealand Herald, based in Dunedin.