Vicious Sex Attack on Child At NZ Campsite

(For an update to this story read Belgian Girl’s Rapist Has “Gang Connections” – “Killah”)


We’re shocked to hear that yet another tourist has been seriously assaulted in a campervan in New Zealand.

What makes this particular crime all the more disgusting is that this time it was a five year old Belgian tourist that was severely beaten and subjected to a vicious sexual attack after being bashed unconscious. A heinous and contemptible crime perpetrated against a defenseless child.

One of the police officers working on the case said it was the worst he’d seen

“It is the worst attack I have seen in my 28 years of police service.
“It was a vicious attack on a defenceless five-year-old girl. You don’t get too many offences which are too much worse than this.”

Our thoughts are with the girl’s family, who are said to be on dream holiday of a lifetime from Europe, and we wish her a full and speedy recovery from her ordeal.

The British press is bound to draw comparisons to the abduction of 3 year old Madeleine McCann, whose parents left her sleeping in a holiday resort in Portugal.

The family arrived at Club Habitat on Ohuanga Road, Turangi yesterday (street view below) and the assault took place last night between 10.10 and 10.40 whilst the child’s parents were just metres away in an amenity block. The girl and her three year old brother were left alone and sleeping in the van at the time.

Police are not releasing details of the family or their country of origin but they did tell reporters that there had been a burglary at the camp the previous night.


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Unfortunately, even though New Zealand strives to maintain has a safe image abroad there have been a significant number of assaults, rapes  and robberies of campervan tourists in the last few years. Sadly it was just a matter of time until a child was attacked.


Crime against foreign nationals in New Zealand is something that we write about regularly, take a look at our blogs tagged campervan to see numerous other incidents. Sadly it seems that the message still isn’t getting out about New Zealand and its high crime rates and violence against tourists.

High Rates of Child Abuse Deaths

Many tourists fail to realise that far from being safe for children, New Zealand is ranked joint third in the world by UNICEF for the highest number of  child maltreatment deaths (1.2 per 100,000 children) only the US and Mexico have more  See our Facts and stats pages (above) for more information.

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has issued the following advice for travellers to New Zealand. Perhaps it is time for them to be more specific about the types of violent crime and follow the lead of the Dutch government after a honeymooning couples were raped at a campsites in Tuatapere and Haruru Falls, so that people may be better informed.

Safety and Security – Crime

Street crimes occur in major urban areas. Reports of thefts from unattended vehicles, especially hire cars/camper vans in major tourist areas (e.g. the Coromandel Peninsula, Rotorua and Queenstown) have increased. There has also been an increase in the number of thefts from hotel rooms in some tourist areas. Do not leave possessions in unattended vehicles even if out of sight in a locked boot. Do not leave valuables in hotel rooms, but use safe boxes when available. Keep passports, travellers’ cheques, credit cards, etc separate. See our Victims of Crime Abroad page.

A NZ police media statement gave the following information about the Club Habitat assault

Child seriously assaulted at holiday park
Thursday, 22 December 2011, 1:19 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Police
Child seriously assaulted at holiday park
A five-year-old girl is in a serious but stable condition in hospital after being attacked last night at a holiday park in Turangi.
The girl is currently touring New Zealand with her parents and brother in a hired ute and caravan. Yesterday afternoon they arrived in Turangi and booked into Club Habitat on Ohuanga Road, Turangi.
Last night the girl’s father was in the amenity block just metres away from the caravan. At approximately 10.10pm the mother also walked across to the amenity block leaving the two children asleep inside the caravan.
When she returned at approximately 10.40pm she found the caravan door locked and through the window saw a man inside.
She ran to get her husband and when they returned the caravan door was open, the man was gone and their daughter was lying seriously injured in her bed.
She has serious injuries mainly to her head and face and has undergone surgery at Waikato Hospital.
An investigation is underway, headed by Detective Inspector Mark Loper. ESR are in Turangi carrying out a full scene examination. Officers from Waikato are currently assisting with interviews with the parents.
Detective Inspector Mark Loper said: “This is a vicious attack, and the fact that it is on a five-year-old tourist just days before Christmas makes it all the more appalling. It is vital that anyone who has the smallest piece of information that might help this investigation comes forward as soon as possible.”
The family are visiting from Europe. Police will not be more specific at this stage as the family need some time to notify relatives back home before any further detail is released.

Other Recent Turangi Crime Stories

Hunter who killed camping teacher to get early release – man hunting illegally at night, shot schoolteacher in head at campsite. He is released after serving just 11 months in prison.
Police seek thugs – elderly man beaten by burglars a few weeks ago
Man accused of attacking Turangi policeman in court -Motorist punched police officer unconscious in an assault on SH 1
Smuggler jail guard ‘felt sorry’ for inmate – prison warder smuggled drugs in to Tongariro-Rangipo Prison prison

Other Tourist Attacks in New Zealand


Chilean Tourist Robbed, Loses Life’s Work
Te Anau Troubled By Tourist Attacks
Honeymoon Couple Lose Precious Photos, No ‘Gold Medal’
Czech Tourist, Jan Fakotor, Stabbed In Motueka
English tourist mugged in Gisborne
Chilean tourist punched, robbed in Nelson
A group of students that were beaten and robbed whilst on a treasure hunt at the Hundertwasser toilets in Kawakawa, Northland
A series of random, unprovoked attacks in Queenstown
Previous robbery of British tourists at Kerosene Creek
Tourists robbed at Kerosene Creek
Three French tourists beaten and robbed in their campervan in Mangamuka, Northland - police have yet to resolve this crime

A family of Swiss tourists that were assaulted and racially abused in Kaitaia, Northland
Anke Kuballa and Marc Busch from Germany who were robbed in Whangarei, Northland
A family of five robbed at the roadside whilst camping in their van at Oturere Stream, 25km south of Turangi
Two German tourists attacked in Paihia, Northland
Two American tourists were robbed at Shipwreck Bay in Northland whilst sandboarding

Asian woman, (probably Japanese) age 22, raped in her room by 2 teenagers in a home invasion in Opotiki, Northland

Three Chinese tourists attacked and robbed at Te paki, 90 Mile Beach, Northland, by two men they’d stopped to help
French tourist Anthony Cressend, beaten and robbed at campsite in Ahipara, Northland
Two Australian tourists robbed at knifepoint for their holiday money in Te Puke, SE of Tauranga.
Japanese tourist age 23 (female) kidnapped, robbed and assaulted in Rotorua by four men
French tourist (male) raped at gunpoint near Opotiki,

American peace corp twins Adam and Alex Rahmlow, 21 were robbed of all their possessions by a man they tried to help in Amberley, Christchurch.
Dutch couple raped and robbed on a campsite in Tuatapere, NW of Invercargill, whilst on their honeymoon. (Dutch govt. issued a travel warning about NZ)
Two Koreans were attacked and robbed of their possession which included a laptop computer by a man claiming to be a gang member in Blenheim.
British tourist worker sexually assaulted near Hururu Falls, Northland when she was dragged off a walking track.
Canadian tourist Jeremie Kawerninski, kidnapped, assaulted and robbed in Lower Hutt, Wellington
Dutch couple robbed and sexually attacked Haruru Falls, Northland whilst on honeymoon.
Two British women robbed and raped in their campervan at Tokomaru Bay, north of Gisborne.
Japanese tourist subjected to a prolonged and brutal sex attack in a communal area of a backpacker’s hostel in Turangi, Taupo.
Scottish woman Karen Aim brutally murdered by a youth in Taupo.
German woman Birgit Brauer murdered near New Plymouth.
Korean man Jae Hyeon Kim decapitated with a spade by white supremacist.
Japanese tourist robbed at gunpoint in Oamaru.
Irish cycle tourist Paul Mack bashed, robbed and urinated on throughout his NZ tour.
6 English and Danish tourists attacked and stabbed in Cashel Mall, Christchurch for having “foreign accents.”
Irish man Robby O’Brien beaten up in Westport.
Russian couple Denis Khotchenko and Lera Nesterova beaten and robbed in Milford, Auckland
English woman knifed and sexually assaulted in a toilet block at an A1 motor camp in Kaikoura
American campers Patrick Dykstra and Kelsey McGinley beaten and robbed at Whangarei Falls, Northland.
Australian tourist sexually assaulted on a street in broad daylight in Nelson.
Australian tourist subjected to a sex attack by Maia Crawford Rongonui whilst walking home to a backpackers in Christchurch.
Canadian tourist left with a fractured skull outside Silver Fern backpackers in Taupo.
Dutch tourist beaten and robbed at Lake Rotorua.
British man Paul Speakman and his young son beaten and robbed in a campervan at Athenree Gorge, Katikati.
Chinese woman attacked for speaking Chinese on a train approaching Petone.
Scottish visitor Stuart Martin who was left in a coma and with a boot print on his face after a street bashing in Taradale, Christchurch.

Today's posts - click here

100% Pure You? Poor Anna Faris

It’s official, New Zealand is no longer 100% Pure.

Tourism New Zealand recently launched a new advertising campaign that pushes the 100% pure emphasis off of the country and onto the individual that visits it.

Shame then that Anna Feris didn’t feel 100% Pure when she was in NZ shooting the movie  Yogi Bear.

She attracted the wrong sort of attention from middle aged men in cars whilst walking through Auckland, when they shouted a barrage of highly offensive and sexual abuse at the popular Hollywood Star.

The  travel section of the Syndey Morning Herald covered New Zealand’s new 100% Pure You campaign saying

Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said research suggested New Zealand could increase its appeal as a holiday destination by personalising its marketing message and focusing on more than scenery.
“We have identified people around the world already considering travelling here and the addition of You to the successful 100% Pure New Zealand advertising message is a logical step that will benefit the tourism industry by highlighting the individual experiences on offer,” Bowler said.
Tourism New Zealand’s new marketing campaign…includes online banner ads and TV commercials showcasing the experiences of a young woman jetboating, a middle-aged father taking his children tramping, and a young woman horse-riding. All the commercials feature the 100% Pure You tagline.

But Anna Faris has  highlighted another very individual experience that young women are being offered in New Zealand. Sexual Harassment.
.
The Herald reported on an interview she gave in the US, in which she recounted her experiences of visiting  New Zealand

“I’m walking home, I’ve got my backpack on, got my jeans on, and this carload of guys – they were like in their 40s, from what I could glimpse – they said, ‘f*ck you, as*hole’.”
Lopez asked her why they had shouted the obscenities.
She replied: “I don’t know, and, like, three minutes later, a car full of older gentlemen said, ‘show me your tits, you stupid bitch’.
“I was like, you tell me where you are at – I’m going to go home to your place and I’m going to show you a good time with that kind of treatment? Oh, yeah.”

Surprising then that instead of apologising to Ms Faris for her experience and offering to give her some more positive memories to take away about New Zealand,  Ian Long – a spokesman for Tourism NZ -  chose instead to denigrate her further and with one swift move plunged the status of women in NZ back into the dark ages.

Is it normal to’ blame the victim’ like this in NZ?

According to the Herald report

Tourism NZ spokesman Ian Long said no one would take Faris seriously.
“In the same segment, she accepts an award for being a pothead stoner of the year and she’s quite clearly had a few. I don’t think she has any credibility,” he said.
Long’s attack on Faris was echoed by New Zealanders approached in the street, some of whom appeared to blame Faris for the abuse.
One man said that if she was famous she must expect “attention”; a woman said she “gets her tits out” in movies so shouldn’t be surprised at the public reaction.

And then went to include some thoughts from the public at large which included this one

Sam Aki, Male, 25
“She looks like the type of woman who would get that sort of attention. She’s giving Kiwi blokes a bad reputation. If she’s famous she must expect that everywhere she goes.”

Hardly surprising  is that the new tourism campaign has cut little ice in Australia, perhaps the Aussies know a fake when they see one?  Some of them commented to the SMH:

• Normally I have no problem with change, but I don’t like this change! It sounds tacky. The original one was honest, and sold the beauty that is New Zealand. Now it sounds like something a car salesman would come up with.

• If I take the time and trouble to go overseas, it’s because I want to see people and places that are different to my usual experience. Why would I go overseas for “me”? I can see me at home.

• I was there for a week – first time and last time. SO cold, raining all the time, absolutely horrible if you take out the view which is the only thing going for it. 100% “poor” you, if you go.

Why should the type of women depicted in the ads want to travel to New Zealand and risk subjecting themselves to the unwanted abuse that Anna Faris attracted?


Hardly surprising is it that New Zealand has the highest number of women as a percentage of the population victimised by sexual assault - Nationmaster data. Read some of our posts Violence against women in New Zealand

For more about the women’s issues in New Zealand click  here or read some of our following blogs

Parents Furious At Dean’s “Slut” Comment
Womens’ Rights Slipping In New Zealand post for International Women’s Day

“Sex & Power” – Women’s Participation In NZ Stalled
Another Pregnant Woman Told To Leave New Zealand: Pregnancy Now Equated To Sickness In Human Rights Abuse

Today's posts - click here

Open Season On Freedom Campers Well Underway In New Zealand

Well it’s been a glorious start to New Zealand’s first open season for hunters of Freedom Campers.

Last February the president of the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association, Dick Waters  issued a second call for freedom campers to be “shot” if they use vans that don’t have their own toilet facilities.

Mr Waters, was reported as having said  that

“Messy freedom campers who trundle around the country in sleeper vans without toilets or self-contained utilities should be “shot”.

It followed similar comments he made in January.

At the time we said effectively declaring open season on certain types of campers wasn’t going to do much to enhance the country’s tarnished reputation for visitor safety. Read Freedom Campers “Should be Shot,” 15 February 2010.

Even if Mr Waters’ comments were meant to shock, rather than be taken literally, it may cause certain elements of NZ society to feel less than ‘gracious’ towards visitors, who may now be viewed as little more than vermin. Rednecks with guns on a mission aren’t a good combination, in any country.
How right we were, because it would seem that someone may have taken up Mr Waters on his invitation to have a crack at campers.

A couple camping in Tamatea Point in Pakawau we lucky to escape with their lives after someone ” shot at, smashed and attempted to set fire to their campervan” at 5.50 one morning,  presumably they were sleeping in it at the time.

The holidaymakers, a “44-year-old male New Zealander and a 36-year-old New Zealand-residing Chinese woman,” from Hamilton

“had earlier been verbally abused about freedom camping in the area and police say the attack may have been an “extreme, over-the-top reaction” to the practice.” Source NZ Herald

Apparently a man has been arrested in relation to the incident, charged with attempted murder and given name suppression. The Herald said that he has a holiday property on the reserve on which the campervan has been parked.

Stuff provided more in-depth coverage than the Herald, with the following information

The Tasman District Council reserve is a popular site for public beach access and there are no signs banning freedom camping.
Golden Bay residents are growing increasingly intolerant of issues posed by freedom campers which include littering and defecating in public places.
The intolerance came to a head last month when the Golden Bay Community Board made an urgent request to the Tasman District Council to have a compliance officer based in the bay to monitor problems. A council officer is monitoring the bay during January and February.
In April last year, freedom campers were forced off land near the Waitapu Bridge spot by angry Golden Bay local…more here

The have been plenty of other incidents recently where tourists have been attacked and robbed whilst using campervans but this is the first we’ve heard of where an attempt has been made to burn them out. Read Welsh Couple Left Without a Penny in New Plymouth 7 January 2011

Months from now thousands of world cup rugby fans will be descending on New Zealand, eager to hire out campervans and totally unaware of the risks they are taking by not using authorised campsites.
Neither are they aware that they will be targeted by thieves if they leave their vehicles in public car parks or on the roadside.  It would be a bit rough to loose those prized match tickets in addition to cameras, iPods, treasure holiday snaps and passports and credit cards.

We think mass public information campaigns are needed, and fast.

One to warn tourists about the dangers and how to keep themselves safe and another to encourage locals in New Zealand to have a more relaxed and accommodating attitude towards visitors.

Hug a camper today.


Today's posts - click here

John Rowe Murder Trial Starts Today

 The trial starts today of two teenage girls accused of the murder of retired school teacher John Rowe.

Mr Rowe was brutally battered to death whilst he was asleep in his Opotiki home in November of last year. Two girls - Courteney Churchwood, aged 17 and a 15 year old with name suppression were later arrested and a man was also charged with being an accessory.

We have previously mentioned Mr Rowe in other blog posts in connection with other recent crimes in the small eastern Bay of Plenty town of Opotiki, he is the second school teacher to be be battered to death in recent years. Lois Dear was sexually assaulted and murdered in her classroom at Tokoroa's Strathmore Primary School in 2006.

 23 year old Whetu Te Hiko pleaded guilty to her murder. He had 13 prior convictions, eight of which were for assaulting women and children in 10 months, from April 2004 to February 2005.His brother Hamuera, is also in jail for sexually violating and beating his wife to death in 2001.

Six days ago 70 year old Grandmother Barbara Catherine Julian was beaten to death in her Kaitaia home in broad daylight by an intruder. A 17 year old youth is presently remanded in custody.

It has to make you wonder what is happening to the fabric of  New Zealand society when its most vulnerable citizens are beaten to death in their own homes and classrooms, places that most people should and would consider safe. What is sickening is that these crimes are being committed by young people, some of them multiple repeat offenders, it has to make one question if the methods used to address youth offending are working in New Zealand and if tougher measures are needed.

Other pensioners beaten to death or raped in their homes include:

• An elderly woman sexually and physically assaulted in her Eltham home in June. A 17 year old was later charged

• A grandmother killed "execution style" in Marton in 2005

Today's posts - click here

English Man Attacked And Robbed In New Plymouth

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from YahooXtraNews 10 Sept 09

"A young Englishman was attacked and robbed when he stopped his car to answer a cellphone call in New Plymouth early today.

The 23-year-old man pulled over and got out of his car in Devon Street West about 12.30am to take the call when he was hit from behind.

His attacker, thought to be a Pakeha aged between 18 and 25, held the man down with a foot on his back while he robbed him, New Plymouth police Constable Hannah Pulotu told NZPA.

She said the victim had his glasses knocked off and didn't get a good description of his attacker.

"The only thing he saw of him was when he got back in his car and saw him running off in his rear vision mirror."

He was not seriously hurt, suffering a cut above his eye when his head hit the pavement.

The man, who lives in New Zealand, had his wallet and passport taken."

French Tourist's Rapist Is Found Guilty

The man who raped a French tourist at gunpoint in May (see foot of this link) was found guilty yesterday.

Teiro Ngaa Kitai, a scrap metal dealer, pleaded guilty yesterday on three charges of sexually violating the 24 year old experienced traveller who had safely hitched his way through Australia and Canada without incident.

The attack took place near Opotiki, the small town where an Asian visitor was raped in her bedroom by two teenagers who invaded the home she was staying in (see blog post) Two youths are now in custody.

Predictably the two attacks, and the attacks on a group of 3 Chinese tourists at the base of 90 Mile Beach and French citizen Anthony Cressend at a Northland campsite, have re-ignited the debate about New Zealand's violent image abroad.

As more and more visitors are beaten, raped and robbed the country is rapidly gaining an embarrassing and notorious international reputation as somewhere that is not as safe as it would like to think it is. The attacks also come in a year when 6 prosecutions relating to safety breaches in 12 fatalities related to adventure tourism activities (4 of them foreign nationals) work their way through the court system.

Figures comparing the country's very poor crime statistics to the rest of the developed world may be found under the Stats link at the top of this page.

The NZHerald has again invited its readers to answer its longstanding question "Is increased violence damaging NZ's image abroad?" here are some of the recent reader responses:

Stanley (North Shore)
Monday August 24, 2009 I was attacked in the road rage incident in 2006 on the quiet street at North Shore when I reported the attack at local Police station that night, since then I have not heard from Police.

But since nobody was seriously heart as I have used my best defense back in time, my feet Lol however I have to say naive the person thinking there is no crime in NZ

Why NZ is different from other countries? Surely not much crime but it is exist and yes it is damaging our image a little.

Gangs and drugs ad disorderly conduct of some youngsters is a problem here for sure.

Ryansway (Wellington City)
Tuesday August 4, 2009 This weekend in Wellington, a 14 yr old girl bashed for her handbag by two older hood-clad street girls, and a 20 yr old lady subjected to a cowardly sexual assault by a hood-clad male. Both victims were "soft targets", and thats a phrase that rings all too familiar these days because the perpetrators are low-life cowards!

There are notable statistics relating to crime that need to be addressed without shying away from those too ignorant to accept the truth. Our society cannot continue to tolderate those who wish to reign terror and anarchy on the majority of law abiding citizens.

We cannot continue to tolerate pockets of society who believe the laws of this country do not apply to them so that they are free to commit cowardly crimes without fear of moral consequence or accountability. There must be an end-game to this proliferating pattern of offending that has plagued this country increasingly this past decade.

The time has arrived to break the chains of political correctness to examine the roots of criminal offending. This country is in dire need of law and order, and our society must be free to explore all possible causes and solutions by addressing them openly and honestly.

Kiwigirl (China)
Tuesday August 4, 2009 I can not believe the attitude of Dolly! Its this sort of thinking that makes NZ what it is.
I lived most of my life in NZ and didnt realise just how dangerous it is until I came to live overseas.

Every day I read the Herald and am appalled at whats going on at home. I walk the streets here at night, often on my own, and have never felt safer. This is not something I would ever have contemplated doing in NZ. I talk to people who want to travel to NZ and they are shocked when I tell them of the violence and,

Yes they do need to know before they come so that they dont fall into the traps that many tourists find themselves in. I am in the tourism industry and find it embarressing having to put people straight when all they hear about is how wonderful the people are in NZ. We used to be a great country and we are allowing a small element to dictate to us and its got to stop people! Come on lets make NZ great again.