An 11-year-old boy from Invercargill got his Christmas wish this morning, when four police officers turned up at his door to take him for a ride in a police car.

Hunter Dunnage, a Year 8 student at Aurora College, wrote a note thanking the Invercargill police for looking after everyone this year, including his dad who was in a motorbike accident.

The police were so thrilled with the note they posted it on their Facebook page and went out of their way to surprise Hunter.

Southland police captioned the post; "Hunter. You are too epic for words!! ...We never expect a thank you but this means a lot to us all @newzealandpolice #dreambig#fortheloveofit #feelingthelove."

Angela, Hunter's mother, said he had wanted to be a police officer since he was about 4 years old.

"Hunter hand-delivered the note to the police station and didn't expect to hear anything back, knowing they're really busy, but this morning at around 6.30am, four officers turned up at the door on the back of a night shift.

"They bought with them a parcel, there were a few T-shirts in there and he put one on immediately, then they took him for a ride in the police car."

Angela said it had made his day, and Hunter couldn't get the smile off his face.

In the note Hunter referred to a motorbike accident that his father was involved in.

"His father works for DX Mail delivering mail by motorbike. He got hit head-on by a car and after the accident a policeman came over and made sure he was okay and asked some questions.

"The policeman made my husband and Hunter feel so at ease, and said all the right things. Hunter was a bit starstruck that there was a policeman in the house and he kept going on about the nice policeman afterwards.

"He's had a really tough time lately so this is such a nice thing for him," Angela said.

Hunter has a condition called Sagittal Synostosis. His skull fused at 10 weeks into pregnancy which meant he had to have his skull cut and plates put behind his ears. Angela said his skull was enlongated, like an alien skull in the movies.

When they operated his skull was as thin as an eggshell and the inside was like a walnut shell.

He was also born with no fat, very little muscle and crooked feet. He will need the bones in his feet broken within the next two years so he can walk and run with no pain.

Angela said Hunter went and saw a paediatrician recently and told them about his dreams to be a policeman.

"They said they'd fix his feet and do everything they could to help him fulfil his dreams. I feel so happy and lucky when I meet people like that, who give Hunter support instead of discouragement."