A midnight joyride in a stolen car came to an abrupt end for three teenagers who met their match on a Coromandel hill overnight.

Their getaway was foiled when they encountered a house being transported through the winding Kopu-Hikuai highway.

There was nowhere to go but into the hands of following police.

The trio - aged 13, 14 and 15 - had earlier stolen a Honda Accord station wagon from a home in Whitianga, says Waikato police Senior Sergeant Will Loughrin.

The owner of the car was alerted to a disturbance at 1am and seeing his car was gone from outside, jumped into another vehicle at the home to give chase.

He trailed the teens, while police were alerted.

Will says a police unit was dispatched and caught sight of the vehicle, following it from a distance.

"They went onto the Kopu Hikuai and by chance it was blocked by a truck transporting a house."

With no way through, the three boys from Auckland were forced to stop and were arrested by the following police officer.

The 14-year-old driver was taken into custody and will appear in Hamilton Youth Court on Wednesday while the other two teenagers will be dealt with through Youth Aid.

-Stuff/Phillipa Yalden.