Alexandra police are warning home and car owners to be vigilant about security after a man who broke into a holiday home near Omakau was disturbed by the home-owners and ran off.
"It wasn't a very nice start to their holiday," Constable Fred Aplin said.
The family arrived at their Matakanui home on Sunday afternoon and discovered the man inside.
A Peugeot car which had been stolen from Christchurch a fortnight ago was found by police about 2km from the home.
The man was described as being aged between 30 and 35, with lots of freckles.
He was wearing black clothes and work boots, had a camouflage-pattern hat covering his hair, and had a wispy ginger beard.
Constable Aplin said police would like to hear from anyone who had seen the man.
He suspected the man had been "sleeping rough" for a few days around the country.
Although there was no indication the man was a threat to people, home owners should make sure their properties were secure and that keys were removed from vehicles, he said.
