A man has been arrested after police uncovered a large number of stolen vehicles on a property at Pipiwai in Northland following an arson inquiry.
Detective Constable Shawn Parker says a pig hunter initially alerted emergency services after he emerged from some bush off Lovatt Rd on Sunday morning to discover his truck was engulfed in flames.
When police arrived at the scene they began visiting neighbouring properties to see if anybody had witnessed the fire start.
It was while they were visiting properties police saw a vehicle without number plates, about 3km from Lovatt Rd.
Upon further searching of the property, a number of stolen vehicles were found, including four Nissan Skylines, a Nissan Condor flatbed truck, a Yanmar digger, which had been stolen in 2014, and a Holden Rodeo.
A day later police returned to the property and uncovered more stolen goods, including extracted vehicle parts. A 23-year-old man was subsequently arrested.
Detective Constable Parker says $190,000-worth of stolen material was found on the site.
Police are still investigating the arson attack of the truck, which led to the discovery, and are appealing anybody who may have seen the incident unfold.
They would also like to hear from anybody who has witnessed the comings and goings of vehicles on Lovatt Rd in the past few months.
People with information can call police on (09) 405 2960.
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