Cabin stolen from Hamilton property during renovation

A Hamilton woman was left in tears when she discovered her rental property’s cabin had been stolen in what appeared to be an elaborately planned heist.

The red cabin, built by a local business, was believed to have been hoisted on to an offender’s truck with a crane by two young men on Sunday, May 21.

Neighbours thought it was a professional job and didn’t ask questions at the time but found it strange the removal was done on a Sunday.

A 1960s home on the Enderley property is being refurbished and contractors have come and gone over recent months.

The property’s owner, Natasha Middleton, said the cabin was bought in January this year to complement the property when it was rented out.

“It was a way to help larger families have a place or a boarder to help supplement the rent,” she said.

The red cabin, built by a local business, was believed to have been hoisted onto an offender’s truck with a crane by two young men.

The cabin was vacant on Sunday while painters were working on the house’s exterior.

Middleton was in the area that evening and thought she’d pop by to check how the painters were getting on.

“Where I pull the car up is where the cabin is normally,” she said.

“It was gone. I just burst into tears - I couldn’t believe someone would do that.”

Immediately, Middleton began her inquiries.

The neighbour said two young men had arrived at the home around lunchtime with a flatbed truck and mounted crane.

A resident on the other side of the home said they saw the cabin being lifted over the house.

The property has a long driveway and Middleton says the cabin was at the back of the house and hidden from the road - which means the offenders would need to have been on the property at some stage.

“It’s really unnerving.”

Middleton posted her story on social media and a potential sighting of the cabin in the Ōhaupō region was reported to her.

She headed to Ōhaupō, but no luck.

The neighbour on one side of the property recounted that two young men had arrived at the home around lunchtime with a flatbed truck and mounted crane.

She is now waiting to review CCTV footage a dairy on Mardon Rd has of the street and she has approached police to check the traffic cams in the area.

“There’s only so many ways out of Shakespeare Ave, it’s a locked-in residential area so they had to have gone through a main route,” she said.

Police are considering her request to check the cams and sent a staff member to her property to gather fingerprints.

“I’m not sure what he was taking fingerprints of, the cabin was gone,” said Middleton.

“I think [the police] have bigger fish to fry in Hamilton, so I get it as far as resources are concerned - so I guess it’s up to us to track it down.”

Middleton believes the heist required planning and technical knowledge.

She said the offenders would have needed to disassemble the deck and navigate low overhead electrical wires.

“Those things aren’t easy to do, you have to have some smarts - you can’t just tuck it under your arm and walk off.”

An emotional Middleton said she’s very upset by the theft and hopes a lead comes through soon.

“You try very hard to provide a decent place for people to live and this is the outcome,” she said.

“Yeah, it’s a kick in the guts.”

Police say inquiries are ongoing.