Anthony Cressend Attacked At Northland Campsite

The New Zealand Herald is running a story about a group of tourists camping at a 'Northland' campsite, the name of which isn't stated (why is that?) but a report the following day stated the attack took place in Ahipara. One of the group, Frenchman Anthony Cressend, went for a walk after arriving at the campsite in darkness. No one advised them that walking alone wasn't a safe thing to do.

Unfortunately Anthony Cressend says he was then set upon by a gang of three men who broke his jaw in three places and kicked-in his teeth. It's strange that no date is given for the attack, how long ago did this happen and was it around the time of the French Rugby team's tour?

When the incident was reported to the police the paper stated that:

"Police told him they would not investigate without a Kiwi contact number.
"As soon as I said that [he did not have a New Zealand cellphone] the [officer] flipped over his book and said 'Well we can't call outside of New Zealand cell zone'," said travel companion Emily Holloway, 24."

There is no indication from the report if police later decided to investigate the matter further, which may be why the group took their story to the press. The report finishes with "They told their story as a warning to other tourists." (It does make one wonder how many other attacks have gone unnoticed because of similar failures to own a NZ sim card)
Read the full story here : Savage attack ruins experience of NZ

Albania feels safer than New Zealand: (from the Herald report)

"....the trio are trying to stay positive.
But they are shocked by the random attack in a country they had thought to be safe and friendly.
"Even in Albania, which is really dangerous, we have never had this problem, even in Bolivia ... They are just friendly with you and you don't feel it's dangerous," Mr Collomb said."

Damage limitation or reality check?
Whilst some quarters will try to do a damage limitation exercise on this story (we expect to see the "isolated incident" comments any moment) others will take the opportunity to again warn tourists of the dangers they face in New Zealand, there may be more of this type of article in the coming days "False image makes visitors vulnerable" published after the Mathieu Bastareaud furore.

Regular readers of this blog will know that attacks on tourists are not unusual in New Zealand, (Whangarei Council once pondered whether to counter the negative stories or improve the situation -see bottom of page)

Most of us already know about the high profile assaults and rapes of tourists, students and back packers of all nationalities. We know that tourists and visitors need to be as vigilant in NZ as they would be anywhere in the world with high reported crime rates and high numbers of crime victims:
Some tourist attacks in New Zealand
*American peace corp twins were robbed in Christchurch.
*Dutch couple raped and robbed on a campsite in Tuatapere whilst on honeymoon.
*British tourist sexually assaulted near Hururu Falls.
*Dutch couple robbed and sexually attacked Haruru Falls whilst on honeymoon.
*Two British women robbed and sexually assaulted in their campervan at Tokomaru Bay.
*Scottish woman Karen Aim brutally murdered in Taupo.
*German woman Birgit Brauer murdered near New Plymouth.
*Korean man Jae Hyeon Kim decapitated with a spade.
*Japanese tourist robbed at gunpoint in Oamaru.
*Irish cycle tourist Paul Mack bashed, robbed and urinated on.
*6 English and Danish tourists attacked and stabbed in Cashel Mall for having "foreign accents."
*Irish man Robby O'Brien beaten up in Westport.
*American campers Patrick Dykstra and Kelsey McGinley beaten and robbed at Whangarei Falls.
*Australian tourist sexually assaulted in broad daylight in Nelson.
*Canadian tourist left with a fractured skull outside Silver Fern backpackers in Taupo.
*British man Paul Speakman and his young son beaten and robbed in a campervan at Athenree Gorge, Katikati.

Yesterday this blog reported on the sentencing of a thug for the serious assault on Scottish visitor Stuart Martin who was left in a coma and a shoe print on his face after a street bashing in February.

The situation has been serious enough for even tourism managers to call for tourists to be more vigilant and for one victim's mother to threaten to hand out leaflets warning tourists of the dangers:

Attack sparks tourist warning

"A spokeswoman for Tourism New Zealand said New Zealand was still regarded as a safe country, but visitors needed to be made aware of the risks.

"New Zealand is seen as a warm and friendly place, and certainly what has happened is in stark contrast to that reputation," she said.

"We are always concerned about visitor safety, whether it be due to crime or safety -- when tramping, for example. It is our responsibility to get the safety message out there."

Safety messages were put out on tourism websites and leaflets given to visitors, but tourism operators could help.

"Tourism operators should think about talking to their guests about things in their area, whether that be weather or conditions on a certain track or not walking down a dark alley at night," she said.

"We do need to strike a balance with portraying New Zealand as safe, but I don't think operators should be worried about making people aware of the risks. I think most operators would be aware that there would be more damage done by an actual incident."

Tourism West Coast general manager Sonya Matthews said all tourists, from overseas or other parts of New Zealand, needed to be vigilant.

She said they should not be put off touring the country.

"I don't think we want to scare people, but they do need to take general precautions," she said."

See also a quote from General Manager's report to Whangarei District Council, April 2004:

"Tourism advisory group meeting"

"Further cases of tourists being attacked or robbed during their stay in Whangarei have made for headlines here, and an article in the New Zealand Herald. The question of whether it is possible to find ways to counter these negative stories, or improve the situation remains unanswered".

The time is long overdue to find an answer. New Zealand depends heavily on its tourism revenues and can ill afford to lose them during the recession. Improving the tourism experience for visitors will also improve the country for many residents - crime is a significant problem, NZ has the second highest total crimes per capita, the world's highest use of Cannabis and third highest use of Amphetamines.

For today's posts see: latest posts

UPDATE: More on the Death of James Patrick Smith - The British Tourist Killed in Queenstown, Inquest Opens.

The Otago Daily Times has published some more on the mysterious death of British man James Patrick Smith in Queenstown, New Zealand who was found at the rear of the Base backpacker hotel in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The comments of the manager of Base (who originally "declined to comment") are rather interesting and seem to be at odds with initial police reports that Mr Smith fell from a height.

No access to the roof
"Base Discovery Lodge manager Matthew Hirst told the Otago Daily Times yesterday he was unsure if Mr Smith had fallen from the roof. He said there was no access to the roof of the four-storeyed building, even from the stairs at the back.

"You can't even get on to the roof from the ladder - mind you, he could have climbed up."

Mr Hirst confirmed the dead man was not a guest at the backpackers.It is understood Mr Smith had been staying at a youth hostel on Lake Esplanade with a friend from the United Kingdom, with whom he was travelling.

Det Miller said while the 25-year-old had no occupation listed, he was understood to be a ski instructor and had arrived in Queenstown at the start of the week looking for work.He had been at a youth hostel until about 9pm or 10pm on Thursday and then gone into town, possibly with other people from the hostel."

Read the full article, see the alleyway here: Police believe dead man fell from roof

Meanwhile, relatives and friends should wait for the results of a coroner's report to know for certain how Mr Smith died.

UPDATE 21 August:

Inquests opens and is adjourned. Report in the ODT here: Dead tourist had high alcohol

Similar death in 2008

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Allegations surrounding the incident bear remarkable similarities to the death of Shaun Bernard Hogan, 24 from Invercargill. He fell to his death from the three storey roof of Queenstown's The Glebe apartment building on 8 March last year whilst highly intoxicated.

During the inquest coroner David Crerar said that his death should be an indictment on the evils of alcohol and not the individual. Report link: alcohol to blame

Queenstown most violent place in New Zealand

Queenstown was recently named as 'the most violent place in the country' according to police statistics published last year by the Southland Times, with alcohol being a significant factor.

"You are almost twice as likely to be violently assaulted in Queenstown than anywhere else in New Zealand, according to new police statistics.The assault will almost certainly take place in the central business district and there is a 17 percent chance it will be on licensed premises.

The statistics suggest it will very likely happen between 1am and 2am and probably at New Year, Easter or during the peak winter period.

There's a 64 percent chance the attacker will be a New Zealander, an 87 percent chance he will be male and an almost 50 percent chance he will work in the construction industry or as a chef.

These figures are included in a report compiled by Queenstown police intelligence analyst Constable Sean Drader in response to the growing number of violent crimes in the resort.....

Mr Drader said the problem was particularly serious for Queenstown given its reliance on the tourism industry and the attendant publicity of serious attacks of even a homicide.

"That kind of publicity carries a risk of a downturn in the town's major industry. It's a serious problem and a very real problem to the community." It was up to the community in general and bar owners in particular to take ownership of the problem and begin taking steps, alongside police and the Queenstown Lakes District Council to resolve it, he said."Read more of the article here: Queenstown most violent place in country

See also: "Streets of fear - Cops are hunting two offenders after late-night violence flared near Queenstown night clubs."

Tourists Injured in Bus Crash

A coach full of tourists has been involved in a serious road accident on the Haast Pass Highway (SH 6) 6 km north of Makarora.

The coach, which was passing through forested area at the time, collided with a Mercedes that overtook it on a straight section of road. Black ice was thought to have been a contributing factor in the crash which sent both the car and the bus spinning out of control into nearby trees.

The ODT reported that 4 people were seriously injured and were taken to hospital, the Southland times said that the bus was operated by Kiwi Experience and that 44 tourists were on board.

The coach party comprised mostly of backpackers who were said to be severely shaken by the accident and taken to the Makarora Wilderness Resort cafe to recover and wait for replacement transport.

No details have been released of the nationalities of the people involved. More on the story here Tourist bus, car crash into forest

2007 a bus, also carrying 44 mainly British tourists plunnged down SH6 near Franz Josef Glacier in Westland. That bus was operated by Kiwi Experience.

A NewstalkZB report at the time stated: "A local near the scene says the passengers have been told by the tour company, Kiwi Experience, not to speak to the media. The local says most of them appear to be in good spirits."

2008 another British tourist was killed when a coach operated by Stray Travel (who market themselves under the slogan "Get further off the beaten track with unique stops and activities" ) tumbled 10 metres down a bank 30 km south of Westport on the west coast. At the time The Press reported:

"One woman, a 62-year-old British national who lived in Spain, was thrown from the bus and killed instantly, police said.
The crash is the latest in a series of accidents involving tour buses and has generated negative publicity for New Zealand's tourism industry in some of its core markets, including in Britain.
National Party transport spokes man Maurice Williamson said he would be asking questions in Parliament about the safety of tourist bus operations.
A Dutch passenger, who declined to be named, said the bus `just drove off the road' ''
See also Times Newspaper report: Briton dies in NZ bus crash, for more details, including other tourism bus accidents in NZ's west coast region.

It will be interesting to see if this latest tourist bus crash will again raise in parliament the issue of tour bus safety and whether or not the injured people will be able to claim for compensation under the "New Zealand Life Back Promise".

British Tourist Dies in Queenstown

See also: Other Backpacker related incidents in NZ

From The Times Online


View Larger Map

"A British man has fallen to his death outside a bar in the New Zealand ski resort city of Queenstown.

James Patrick Smith, 25, from Kent, fell about 10m from a roof into an alleyway, police in the South Island city said today.

His body was found outside a backpackers' hostel and bar by a bouncer at around 1.40am NZT.

The death did not appear to be suspicious and initial investigations indicated it was an accident, Senior Sergeant John Fookes of Queenstown police said.

The Times understands Mr Smith had been escorted from the Altitude bar earlier and may have climbed the building’s fire escape in a bid to get back in.

Rear view of the building

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The general manager of Base Queenstown backpackers' hostel and Altitude bar, Matt Hirst declined to comment and referred inquiries back to police. He said Mr Smith had not been staying at Base.

Senior Sergeant Fookes said Mr Smith had been on holiday in New Zealand with a friend and had been looking for work in Queenstown."

Different reports say that Mr Smith fell from a stairwell or a fire escape in an alleyway at the rear of the building. Judgement about whether or not his death was an accident should be reserved until a full and proper investigation has been carried out.

Peace Corps Twins Robbed in Christchurch

American Twins Adam and Alex Rahmlow, 21 have lost most of their possessions to a down and out hitchhiker they picked up in the Christchurch suburb of Amberley.

The Rahmlows had befriended the man, who said he was from Auckland, and had supported him over a three day period whilst they stayed at a campsite.

The hitchhiker, known as "Rusty" aka "James" stole the brother's car, passports, credit cards and other belongings including irreplaceable networking information the two had gathered travelling on a 6 month trip through Asia, which included a three month stint with the US Peace Corps in Vanuatu.

Adam and Alex are from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Are they eligible for a refund under the "New Zealand Life Back Promise" currently being advertised in the states?

The US Department Of State currently has the following statement about New Zealand on its International Travel page:
Crime
"Crime rates in New Zealand are low but have increased in recent years. The most prevalent crime is theft or attempted theft from cars, camper vans and hostels. To help protect against theft, do not leave passports or other valuable items in unattended vehicles. Violent crime against tourists is unusual; however, visitors who are traveling alone should be especially vigilant, and avoid isolated areas that are not frequented by the public. "

See also: "Tourism"

Dutch Government Warns Tourists of New Zealand Crime

Source: NZ Herald
Edward Gay

"The Dutch Government is warning tourists travelling to New Zealand of "serious crime" after a second Dutch tourist was raped in the space of two years.

The 22-year-old woman was attacked early last Thursday as she and her 25-year-old partner slept in their station wagon at the Five Mountains Holiday Park in Tuatapere, west of Invercargill.

Police have arrested a 25 year-old man in relation to the attack.

A new heading - "Serious Crime" has now been added to the New Zealand travel advice page on the Dutch Government website.

Translated, the page says although serious crime does not happen often, the number of robberies is increasing and campers are being targeted.

The Dutch travel advice warns campers to use official camping sites and not to park up in the "wild".

The site mentions the rape of the Dutch woman last week as well as an attack in 2006."

This blog has been covering violent crime against tourists of varying nationalities in NZ and raising concernover the escalation in the frequency of the attacks, especially on back packers and campers link link

Sex Assault at Dunedin Back Packer Hotel

Dunedin police have arrested a man for the alleged sexual assault of a woman at the Leviathan Hotel last night.

The man, aged 50, was found near to the hotel as police set up a cordon and spoke to the occupants at around 8:50 pm.

The hotel offers cheap accommodation and is often used by back packers and trampers. Reviews on Tripadvisor.com are mixed and the hotel is described as being like a rabbit warren, situated on a very busy road and with a car park filled with huge juggernauts. Questions are bound to be raised about security at the hotel and access by non residents.

At this stage the nationality of the victim has not been released and police have stated that the incident is not linked to two other rapes which occurred in the town over the weekend.

This blog has previously highlighted assaults on back packers and campers in NZ and the growing frequency of this type of attack in New Zealand : link

Update:
The alleged attacker was later named as 54 year old William Daniel Stewart who was staying at the hotel. Stewart is of dual nationality and holds a Canadian passport.

Chilean Tourist Dragged Behind Car

Source: NZ Yahoo News

"A Chilean tourist suffered cuts and grazes after being dragged about 100 metres behind a car in Nelson yesterday.

The incident happened when two men tried to drive off with the tourist's belongings.

Police said the two men had offered the 23-year-old man a ride to a backpacker hostel.

But he felt uncomfortable about the situation and asked to be let out of the car.

Acting Sergeant Terry Holland said that while the man was lifting his pack out of the boot, the driver drove off and he was pulled along the road as he hung onto his belongings.

The tourist managed to haul his bag out of the car, but suffered cuts and grazes to his shoulder and legs. He was recovering in Nelson today."

Other back packing crimes in NZ

Another Campsite Rape

Sources: Voxy NZ, Stuff

In what is getting to be a rather common occurrence in New Zealand another tourist has been sexually assaulted at a campsite in the country.

A 22 year old Dutch visitor was raped and her partner robbed at knife point whilst sleeping in their car at the Five Mountains Holiday Park in Tuatapere, west of Invercargill, South Island.

A 25-year-old man has been arrested.

Campground owners Zane and Tina Barrett said they were "absolutely devastated" by the attack and would close at the end of March.

The attacker, who is said to be known to Mr and Mrs Barrett,was reported by his mother when she recognised a tea towel and filleting knife used in the attack and shown in news reports.

Update

25 year old Maakiti Joseph Tipene was later sentenced to 10 years prison with a minimum of 7 years non parole for rape, three charges of sexual violation, two of unlawful detention, two of threatening to kill and one charge of burglary.

Tipene was something of a 'career criminal'.

According to the Sensible Sentencing Trust's offender database he

"Unlawfully detained and threatened to kill a Dutch couple in Tuatapere, Southland in January 2009, and repeated sexual violation and rape of the woman

Alarmingly lengthy list of past convictions including, drink driving, dangerous driving, failing to stop, driving while disqualified, driving while forbidden, substantial cheque and credit card fraud, burglary, receiving stolen goods, theft of a shop till, theft of food, theft of beer, theft of a chequebook, theft of fuel containers, theft of a car stereo, car conversion, burglary, possession of cannabis, disorderly behaviour, disorderly behaviour likely to cause violence, and other charges intentional damage etc etc "

Ten years would seem to be a very lenient sentence under the circumstances, this man could be released back into the community to continue where he left off when he is just 32.

Violent and sexual assaults on visitors to NZ are occurring far more frequently in recent years, this blog has reported some of the cases please see link: violence against tourists

Visitors to the country are well advised to exercise every precaution to safeguard their personal safety, as they would do in any other international location, and not be lulled into a false sense of security by accepting assurances that NZ is a "safe country" with low rates of crime.

The exact opposite is true - NZ has one of the highest reported crime rates in the world, see link: World Crime Rates

Click on map to enlarge

Violent crime on the increase

Police crime statistics (see link) show that in the year 2007-2008 there were 58,761 cases of violent crime, an increase of 11% on the previous year.

There were also a 3,542 reports of sex crimes, 2,364 of which were sexual attacks.

Guilty Verdict in Masterton Back Packer Assault

Maia Crawford Rongonui was found guilty yesterday of assaulting a 21-year-old tourist with intent to commit sexual violation, and sexually violating her in an attack at Easter last year.

Rongonoui had previous convictions that included burglary, two assaults and one of carrying out an indecent act with intent to offend. He's now in custody awaiting sentencing.

Full story here

Links to http://emigratetonewzealand.blogspot.com/2008/09/tourists-sex-attacker-in-court.html

Tourist's Sex Attacker In Court

Another serious assault on a back packer has been highlighted in a trial in Masterton, South Island today. The incident is yet another illustration of the dangers that tourists continue to face in New Zealand and which they seem to be unaware of.

Source: Stuff, Mon 8 Sept, 2008
"A young Australian tourist thought a teenager was being friendly and helpful in offering to show her back to her backpackers, before he launched a brutal sex attack on her, a court was told today.

Maia Crawford Rongonui, 18, of Masterton, went on trial in Christchurch District Court today over allegations that he assaulted the woman with intent to sexually violate her, and sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection.

He denied both charges before Judge Jane Farish and a jury, at a trial expected to last four days."

Guilty verdict

Link http://emigratetonewzealand.blogspot.com/2008/09/guilty-verdict-in-masterton-back-packer.html

Another Attack on Camper Van Tourists

News agencies are publishing reports of another attack on tourists camping in New Zealand.

News agencies are publishing reports of another attack on tourists camping in New Zealand.

Two British women camping near the beach at Tokomaru Bay, north of Gisborne were subjected to a 2 hour long sexual assault by a man who forced his way into their hired camper van. The attack was brought to a sudden end when a text message was sent to one of the women.

Source: NewstalkZB, Monday 1 Sept, 2008

"The country's largest camper van operator is reassuring the public its vehicles are secure, after the sexual assaults of two tourists on the East Coast.

The young British women were subjected to a two hour assault when a man forced his way into their unlocked camper van, which was parked by the beach in Tokomaru Bay on Friday morning.

Tourism Holdings chief executive Trevor Hall says customer safety is top priority for the company. He says all tourists who rent the company's vans are told to stay only at camp sites.

Mr Hall says unfortunately, the women were not parked at a contained camp site, compromising their safety.

Tourism Holdings owns Maui, Britz and Backpacker Rentals, making it the biggest camper van operator in New Zealand."

But it would seem tourists aren't being told why they should only park at contained camp sites. A man later handed himself in and will appear in Gisborne District Court this afternoon to face three charges of sexual violation and two of assault in regards to the attack.

Source: NZ Herald, Monday Sept 1, 2008

"We consider ourselves to be one big family up the Coast, and everybody thinks it is just horrible that it could happen here," said Jenny Jones, who works at the Tokomaru Bay dairy and camping ground.

"We like to consider ourselves a safe community."

But whilst some are warning about 'free camping' she seemed to welcome the money it brings:

"She said she was concerned the attack could give the area a bad name, which would be "devastating". "We like freedom campers. They stay and spend money ... it's good for us."

This is just the latest incident in a history of assaults on tourists and visitors to New Zealand. Yet some tourisism based businesses persist in marketing the country as a safe tourism destination, this may be causing many visitors to not be as careful about their personal safety as they should be.

These are just a few of the recent assaults on tourists. Links are given to articles, please exercise discretion when viewing as some of the details of the crimes are quite graphic.



January 2008
Scottish tourist Karen Aim was murdered whilst walking home at night in Taupo A youth who was 14 years old at the time is charged with her murder.
Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Aim_murder
http://emigratetonewzealand.blogspot.com/2008/08/karen-aim-murder-case-comes-to-trial.html


March 2008
A Canadian tourist sustained a fractured skull after a beating in Taupo
Source: Travelmole.com

"Police said the tourist was knocked unconscious and robbed outside the Silver Fern backpackers hostel in Tamamutu St at 4am.

Senior Sergeant Tony Jeurissen said there was no link between the weekend's assaults and Ms Aim's murder on January 16, about 112 kilometres away from the latest incidents.

Assaults happened in all New Zealand centres, he said. Society should be concerned at the level of violence that took place every weekend. "What happened in Taupo is not unusual from what occurs in other centres. The concern is why is it happening."

Tourism Holdings chief executive Trevor Hall said there were isolated events of violence at many international tourist destinations. However, New Zealand's reputation as a safe tourist destination could suffer if backpacker attacks kept happening. "

April 2008
6 English and Danish tourists were attacked by 5 males whilst walking through Cashel Mall, Christchurch. Two of those attacked received knife wounds to the chest and stomach. The attacker cited the tourists foreign accent as a reason for targeting them. See also http://emigratetonewzealand.blogspot.com/2009/06/british-tourist-wishes-hed-been-warned.html
Link: http://www.theleader.co.nz/4477878a6432.html


April 2008
Irishman Robbie O'Brien was attacked by a group of men in Westport during a 3 week trip to NZ.
Source: ETurboNews.com

"Tourism leaders are urging operators not to be afraid of warning people of the risks of travelling in New Zealand.

Robbie O'Brien, 31, was attacked by a group of men after a night out in Westport. He suffered cuts to his face and needed hospital treatment. O'Brien said he had been staying in Westport as part of a three-week trip to New Zealand and had been drinking with locals he had met.
Senior Sergeant Geoff Scott, of the Westport police, said the attack appeared to be unprovoked and happened only because O'Brien spoke with an accent."

2006
A Dutch couple on their honeymoon were abducted, sexually attacked and robbed of passports and other possessions at gunpoint in their camper van at the Haruru Falls near Paihia in the Bay of Islands. A week earlier they had been warned by an attendant at a gas station not to "free camp"
Source: iAfrica.com Sept 2006

"Petrol station attendant Dion Gee said a week earlier he had warned the couple against camping in isolated areas after they asked him if there were any free places to stay.

"I said, 'Anywhere that is free is probably not safe'," Gee told the New Zealand Herald.

"They just kind of laughed but I said, 'Seriously, New Zealand is not as safe as it is probably made out to be."

October 2005
German backpacker Birgit Brauer murdered at Lucy's Gully, southwest of New Plymouth by a man who picked her up when she was hitch hiking between Wanganui and New Plymouth. The man responsible had 65 prior convictions dating back to when he was a juvenile, and had previously raped a woman.
Link http://www.stuff.co.nz/4150739a10.html

October 2004
British man Paul Speakman and his 12 year old son were asleep in their camper van in Athenree Gorge, near Katikati when the were assaulted by a group of 4 men high on "P" pure methamphetamine. This attack was part of a widespread orgy of violence that night when the men used crowbars to smash windows of other tourists' vehicles, threatened and attacked their victims, stole their property and slashed their tyres to prevent them from going for help. The vehicles were left "blood-spattered and ransacked"
Link: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10010634

2004
American campers Patrick Dykstra and Kelsey McGinley were beaten and robbed as they camped overnight in their car at crime hotspot Whangarei Falls.
source: Backpacker.com April 3, 2004

"Yesterday, still in his hospital gown, he was ruing the decision not to find a backpackers' lodge. Mr Dykstra said they had no inkling they might be unsafe."We were surprised, certainly. We didn't expect anything like this, or we wouldn't have been sleeping in the car. "We just assumed because New Zealand has such a big backpacker culture that it was safe, so we thought the waterfalls was an all-right place to sleep. We didn't think twice."

2003
Missing Korean backpacker Jae Hyeon Kim.
Update: Tuesday 24 June 08

"Police engaged on the inquiry into missing Korean backpacker Jae Hyeon KIM have today arrested 2 men and jointly charged them with the murder of Mr Kim at Charleston in late 2003.

Inquiry Head, Detective Inspector John Winter, said that Operation JERICHO had been launched to achieve a break-in to the wall of silence that confronted police. That operation had paid dividends and police were now exploiting the initial success."
Link: NZ Police

For today's posts see: latest posts