A German hitch-hiker who had his belongings stolen by the person who gave him a ride says he no longer believes New Zealand is a safe country.

The Tourism Industry Association says while the incident is concerning, it would never recommend tourists use hitch-hiking as a way to travel around New Zealand.

Jan-Paul Fajta, 22, was picked up by a middle-aged man in a white Honda near Timaru on Wednesday, and given a ride to Oamaru.

JOHN BISSET/FAIRFAX NZ Jan-Paul Fajta of Germany was robbed of all his belongings when he hitched a ride from Timaru to Oamaru.

The man took Fajta to a camping ground, and told to him to have a look around. If he didn't like that camping ground, he would take him to another one, he said.

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The man had been friendly and chatty, even giving Fajta a beer during the trip.

However, when Fajta returned from checking out the camping ground, he discovered the man had driven away with his belongings.

The incident left him angry and shocked.

"I've never used so many bad words as I did then.

"I hoped he would come back."

He waited for an hour before contacting police.

Fajita lost all of his camping gear, his clothes, and most of the documents he had been travelling with. Fortunately, he still had his passport, wallet, and phone.

The incident had made him more wary about New Zealand, he said.

"Until now, it seemed to be a really safe country.

"Maybe I put too much trust in people."

He arrived in the country for a six-month working holiday in mid-January.

Tourism Industry Association New Zealand spokeswoman Ann-Marie Johnson said the association was sorry to hear that a visitor had been a victim of crime.

"New Zealand is generally a very safe place to travel with a relatively low crime rate," Johnson said.

"However, we advise visitors to take the same care with their personal safety and possessions as they would in any other country or at home.

"We do not recommend that visitors hitch-hike."

Fajta said he would still be hitch-hiking but he would be taking photos of the licence plates of any cars he got into in the future.

"Up until now, everybody who's given me a ride has been really nice."

Fajta had planned to carry on to the bottom of the South Island, but the incident meant he had to stay in Oamaru to earn some money before he could continue his trip.

Sergeant Tony Woodbridge, of Oamaru, confirmed a tourist had made a complaint about his belongings being stolen on Wednesday.

Fajta described the car as a white Honda sedan.