A young girl has been left crying and hunched over after being rescued from a locked car in Auckland.

Kohimarama resident Mike Maloney was driving along Grampian Rd in the city's east when he saw the distressed girl, who he thought was aged between 5 and 7-years-old.

"She was leaning against the fence of the nearest house that the car was outside," he said.

"She was crouching down and facing the road and crying."

The girl looked like she had either been soaked by water bottles or was drenched in sweat, Maloney said.

A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said fire crews were called to the scene by the Automobile Association at 1pm.

"We went and assisted with the child trapped in the vehicle," the spokesman said.

He did not have information about whether the child required medical treatment.

Maloney said he first noticed something was up when he saw the fire truck parked on the side of the road, facing oncoming traffic.

Then as he went past, he saw a small SUV with the rear window on the driver's side smashed in.

There was no other car around or sign of an accident.

Then he saw the girl being assisted by a fireman and older lady.

The older lady was holding an umbrella above the girl.

"To my quick view driving past, the girl looked soaked," Maloney said.

He said he had two young kids going to a nearby school and the incident was a reminder to parents to take care of their young ones during the upcoming summer.