Previous Robbery Of British Tourists At Kerosene Creek.

Back in December we wrote about how a group of "international tourists" (their nationality was never released) had been attacked and robbed of their car and possessions by a group of people whilst swimming at Kerosene Creek. At the time we said that locals were wary of parking at the Creek and at a number of other locations, we asked if this information was given to tourists.

What we didn't know was that 3 British women lost their belongings at the same location a few years earlier. The British women were unaware of the risks they were exposing themselves to and believed the area to be safe.

After the robbery the chair of the local tourism advisory board recommended that tourist attractions be graded according to their safety. This was back in the day when tourism chiefs were free to talk about visitors being made aware of the risks of crime in New Zealand.

His was was an excellent idea and perhaps the group of "International Travellers" would have avoided becoming the victims of crime if it had been adopted.

This from Kelly Blanchard of the Rotorua Daily Post

"When Anna Wright, Louise Wootton and Sarah McElhiney told people in Rotorua they had been robbed of their bags from the boot of their car at Kerosene Creek, no-one was surprised.

The English tourists have been left wondering why people tell tourists to go there if they know there is a chance they could lose all their possessions.

The girls found out about the hot water creek from reading the New Zealand edition of Lonely Planet. Their copy of the book had no warnings about crime in the area, although the latest edition has a warning that "cars have been broken into in this area, don't leave your valuables in your vehicle".

Senior Sergeant Dave Wilson said the car park at Kerosene Creek had been changed recently and there had been a noticeable reduction in thefts from cars in recent months.

Rotorua Tourism Advisory Board chairman Neville Nicholson suggested attractions, activities and even campervans should be ranked according to their safety. Visitors could then be given a flyer reminding them to stay clear of any attraction that did not have a safety stamp.

Mr Nicholson said visitors often dropped their guard because they perceived New Zealand as a safe destination.We are absolutely sick and tired of it. These mongrels are ruining our country and ruining our reputation."

Rotorua police area commander Inspector Bruce Horne suggested Rotorua residents continue to recommend places such as Kerosene Creek to visitors but also make sure they told them of the potential risks.

He said some people were afraid to admit crime occurred in certain areas because it could affect the area's image.

"It's no good not advising people about the risks ... it helps to just remind them that it is a place that is sometimes preyed on and if they see anyone dodgy hanging around, they should contact police."

 Wise words and has anything changed since?

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Tourists Robbed At Kerosene Creek

A group of four "international tourists" have been attacked and robbed whilst swimming at Kerosene Creek, near Taupo on Monday night. Their car and a number of possessions were taken during an attack which has left them deeply shaken.

Information as to the tourists' nationality or country of origin seems to have been withheld from the press for the time being, no doubt to reduce the amount of exposure the story gets? (it's already appeared on sites around the world)  but the attack does bear similarities to the attack on a group of Chinese tourists in Te Paki, Northland, which leaves us thinking that this may have been a group of Chinese people too.

Local wary of parking at Kerosene Creek
Those interested in such things may like to familiarise themselves with the findings of a 2009 Safety Perception Survey carried out for Rotorua District Council. 400 local residents were questioned about their perceptions of safety in the area.

63.0% of respondents felt there are unsafe places to park a vehicle in...areas around Rotorua, an increase year on year - 61.5% in 2008, 67.1% in 2007 and 54.3% in 2006. Of those, the most common mentions included:

• Blue/Green Lakes (Tikitapu/Rotokakahi) and Okere Falls (62 responses each)

• The Redwood Forest car park (61 responses)

• Kerosene Creek (37 responses)

• Waipa (26 responses)

The locals obviously know where the unsafe places are but is this information being passed on to tourists?

One can only speculate if it was a copycat crime, but what is rather disturbing that the high profile arrest and punishment of the Northland offenders seems to have had no deterrent effect whatsoever, attacks on unwary tourists are still occurring in New Zealand, and if anything, seem to be more frequent.


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