Police in New Zealand have described an incident where a man tried to hitch a ride home in a police car as "a bit like "dumb and dumber", The Press newspaper reported on Monday.

Senior Sergeant Malcolm Johnston said police in the rural South Island township of Rangiora initially drove past the man as he whistled and tried to hail a ride late on Friday night, but stopped when he walked on to the road and held up his middle finger at them.

When officers approached the man they smelt cannabis and then found he was in possession of a small amount of the drug. They also discovered he was wanted for 2,800 dollars in unpaid fines.

Johnston said "The moral of the story is that if you haven't paid your fines and you're walking around carrying drugs, don't hail a police car like a taxi ... and don't give them the fingers."