The 27-year-old told the Rotorua Daily Post he was “devastated” to return from a five-day family trip to Auckland and find the home’s two garages had been broken into.
He had stored most of his belongings in one of the garages after moving into the house, which he shared with three flatmates, two months earlier.
Among the stolen items were a PS5 and virtual reality gaming equipment, a GoPro camera, a smartwatch, mobile devices, books, and furniture.
The board games were part of a “rare Kickstarter” collection which Nguyen said took about two years to put together.
“I had finally managed to complete this part of my collection …
“I even had to have them shipped all the way from Australia.”
Nguyen said the games were no longer sold through regular retailers and could only be bought from resellers.
Nguyen said his flatmate’s car was also stolen.
A neighbour’s CCTV footage showed the car was stolen between 10am and midday on August 11.
“We are not sure whether the burglars broke into the garages at the same time or returned later,” Nguyen said.
He said police were provided with all the details of the burglary, including the footage.
Police found the car on August 16.
Nguyen went to the police station on August 24 seeking an update on the case.
Four days later, police told him they had searched “a number of addresses” and had been unable to find any of his belongings.
Police told him “there was not much more they could do at this stage”.
“I don’t have high hopes of recovering my belongings,” Nguyen said.
About $14,000 worth of belongings were stolen from his Ranolf St home, including a “rare” Marvel United board game collection.
At the time of speaking to the Rotorua Daily Post, Nguyen said no one had contacted him about the missing board games.
He hoped the reward offer might help bring them home.
“These were not simply valuable items; they represented almost everything I had collected and owned during my three years living in Rotorua.
“Many of them were gifts from my family and carried memories that cannot be replaced by money.”
It was “extremely upsetting” for Nguyen.
“I hope that by sharing my experience, it can help raise awareness in the community and encourage more action to prevent these crimes from happening to other people.”
A police spokesperson said police were notified on August 15 of a burglary alleged to have occurred between August 11 and 15.
They said a number of items and a vehicle were reported stolen, with the vehicle recovered from an address on August 16.
Inquiries into the burglary were ongoing, they said.
Police Crime Snapshot data showed reported burglaries and thefts in the Rotorua district fell from 7542 in the 12 months to August 2025 to 6339 in the 12 months to August 2026. In Glenholme, the total dropped from 149 to 106.
Annabel Reid is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post, based in Rotorua. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, she has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canterbury.