Thieves who stole a Tauranga family's boat from Waihi Beach later abandoned it in the Karangahake Gorge - minus its motor and trailer.

'We didn't know it had been stolen until police contacted us on Monday,” says the owner, who wishes to remain anonymous.

Vanessa Chase posted these pictures on Facebook after she discoverd the boat near the Karangahake walkway.

The Surtees Runabout had been parked in the grounds of their holiday home and is believed to have taken sometime over the weekend.

Waihi local Vanessa Chase was among the first to spot it in the gorge.

'She took photos and posted them on Facebook,” says the owner, 'asking if anyone knew whose boat it was. We are very grateful she did.”

Police had the boat retrieved by a towing company and contacted its makers, Surtees Boats of Whakatane, who were able to supply the owner's name.

'We haven't got the boat back yet,” they explain, 'as we have to get another trailer from Surtees.

'But from looking at Vanessa's photos, it appears the thieves had plenty of time to remove the motor, which was padlocked on, because they appear to have taken all the steering gear as well.

'Getting it off the trailer wouldn't have been hard because the boat slides on and off really easily.”

The boat cost around $38,000 when bought new in 2007, while its trailer is worth around $5000 and the Yamaha 115 salt water series motor is valued at around $13,000.

The trailer has been fitted with new LED lights and has ‘deck grip' non-slip product on the wheel arches, which isn't standard for the trailer. The Yamaha motor has a crack through the Yamaha brand name on one side.

'We'd like people to be on the lookout for the trailer and the motor as we want these thieves caught,” they add.

'We are really upset that the boat has been stolen from what we thought was a safe beachside community, and we'd like to warn other boat owners to make sure their trailer boats are secured.

'It's also disappointing that our two pre-schoolers will miss their enjoyment in going out in the boat in the last days of summer.”

If you have any information about the whereabouts of the trailer or the motor, please contact your local police station.