the press eventually found out that a young American couple were attacked and robbed in Rotorua on Saturday night. The thugs responsible for the attack - all teenagers (the youngest is 14) have appeared in court over the last two days and the tourists are now safely away from further media attention. This appeared in today's Herald and followed a story published yesterday by
"Three teenagers have been charged with aggravated robbery after two American visitors were attacked in Rotorua. The tourists, a man and a woman in their early 20s, were set upon near Rangiuru St late on Saturday night.
They were bruised and scratched and their belongings were stolen, police said.
An 18-year-old youth and a 14-year-old boy appeared in the Rotorua Youth Court yesterday and were remanded.A 17-year-old youth will appear in the Youth Court today."
The names, or town of origin, for the tourists have not been released.
View Larger Map, Rangiuru Street near to where the attack took place
The attack has drawn surprisingly little attention from the public, warranting but a single comment on the 3News website by "Dan"
Unfortunately incidents such as these are not isolated, nor uncommon. On November 30 a group of "
international tourists" (details of their nationality were never released) were attacked and robbed whilst they bathed at Kerosene Creek, 35km south of Rotorua. see blog post
Tourists robbed.
Other tourist attacks and robberies include
Two German tourists attacked in
Paihia, Northland
Asian woman, (probably Japanese) age 22, raped in her room by 2 teenagers in a home invasion in
Opotiki
Three Chinese tourists attacked and robbed at Te paki,
90 Mile Beach 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.
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.
Pretty shocking for a country as small as New Zealand. But these are just some of the crimes that make it as far as the news, true figures for tourist assaults and robberies either aren't gathered or they're not released. Who can tell how bad the problem is? and if a problem isn't measured how can it ever be resolved?
