We've printed more than a few stories about senseless acts in the North Shore News.
Such are the frailties of human nature. But the news this week that someone has stolen and vandalized gear from life-saving North Shore Rescue caches - not once, but twice - truly boggles the mind.
We can't really imagine who would stoop to such a low. The level of stupidity involved and disregard for other people's lives is colossal.
Disturbingly, it must have taken someone a fair amount of effort to pull off this stunt.
The emergency caches are by their very nature located in some of the North Shore's most remote backcountry, hours of hiking from anywhere else.
They are placed there so that potentially life-saving gear will be available when conditions are dire enough that both those needing rescue and those rescuing them can't make it out.
The caches are a key part of what our volunteer searchers rely on when they head out in dangerous conditions. They are one of the legacies of the late team leader Tim Jones, who we're sure would be using some choice words to describe the culprits.
It's almost beyond comprehension that someone would target the caches to outfit themselves with some new camping gear.
Even more reprehensible is the damage these lowlifes did to the equipment they didn't steal - including a helicopterlanding pad.
North Shore Rescue now has to spend more of its precious resources and those of its donors to replace the gear.
Those who trekked so far into the mountains to cause such destruction must know that they themselves could easily become victims of their own folly.
