Saturday, November 14, 2009
German Tourists Robbed In Omapere, Northland
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It's taken well over a week for the news to leak out that a couple of German tourists were robbed in Northland, New Zealand on November 2. Why it has taken so long to report on something that happened a week last Monday is anybody's guess, but the more cynical amongst us could speculate that it was so the story could be given a more 'positive' slant?
The middle aged couple were said to be highly upset when they returned to their campervan at Signal Station Lookout, Omapere to find that thieves had broken in and stolen a bag containing a large amount of foreign cash, camera gear and personal items.
Northland seems to have been having more than its fair share of attacks and robberies on tourists of late, it's almost a month since two other German tourists were attacked and robbed on the street in Paihia .
We think that tourists should be given more information about how to keep themselves and their possessions safe and be allowed to rent secure safety deposit boxes (for a nominal charge) at local banks and post office whilst staying in the region. Perhaps if all the crims knew that tourists' cash was safely locked up they'd be less interested in them?
Other recent attacks on tourists in Northland include:
* Two American tourists who were robbed of their backpack in Shipwreck Bay in September.
* Threee Chinese tourists who were attacked and robbed south of 90 Mile Beach at month earlier
* Anthony Cressend, a French tourist, who was beaten and robbed at a campsite in Ahipara.
But we strongly suspect that there may be more than this.
Today's posts - click here
Man Killed In Nelson Shooting
A man was shot dead in Nelson this evening. Police armed with rifles have sealed off an area just before a bridge at Dennies Hole, on Maitai Valley Rd.
According to a report by Sally Kidson in the Nelson Mail:
"Sgt Shane Miles told the (paper) that police had received a call that a man had been shot in the chest in Branford Park.
When police arrived they found a man with an apparent gunshot injury. A doctor who was passing by confirmed the man was dead.
Sgt Miles said there were several eyewitnesses at the scene. A witness told the Nelson Mail she had heard a shot shortly before 6pm. She said she had heard screaming and fighting beforehand."
See also: Murders and violent deaths in New Zealand during 2009
Today's posts - click here
According to a report by Sally Kidson in the Nelson Mail:
"Sgt Shane Miles told the (paper) that police had received a call that a man had been shot in the chest in Branford Park.
When police arrived they found a man with an apparent gunshot injury. A doctor who was passing by confirmed the man was dead.
Sgt Miles said there were several eyewitnesses at the scene. A witness told the Nelson Mail she had heard a shot shortly before 6pm. She said she had heard screaming and fighting beforehand."
See also: Murders and violent deaths in New Zealand during 2009
Today's posts - click here
Friday, November 13, 2009
Gang Prospects Jailed For The Rape Of Japanese Tourist In Opotiki
Ranginui Rahi, 18 and Mark Hati, 16 the two youths who pleaded guilty to the rape of a 22 year old Japanese tourist in Opotiki, in the eastern Bay of Plenty, have both been sentenced to 9 years in prison for rape and aggravated buglary.
The two armed offenders broke into the Ford Street house in August and attacked the woman whilst her host family sat in another room watching television.
Mark Hati was said to have aspirations to become a patched member of the Mongrel Mob and expects to be accepted once his sentence has been served. Of course, the Mob may not exist by then which will be no sad loss for New Zealand, or the residents of Opotiki.
In June an Opotiki man was charged with the raped of a male French hitchhiker at gunpoint.
Opotiki also made the headlines in December of last year when two teenage girls were charged with the murder of elderly man John Rowe, a retired school teacher. His badly beaten body was found at his home in November 2008. Whilst reporting on Mr Rowe's murder the NZ Herald described Opotiki as follows:
"With wide streets and air of lost prosperity, Opotiki is not unlike dozens of small towns across New Zealand.
Fifty years ago it was booming, thanks to potatoes, wheat, maize and cattle. But as factories relocated or closed, residents moved out, with many of the rich and elderly heading to the upmarket Woodlands area several kilometres away.Their departure and the economic downturn led to an increase in unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse, and gang activity.
Now much of Opotiki's criminal activity is controlled by Mongrel Mob and Black Power chapters, with the innocent caught in the middle. "The Mongrel Mob own this patch," said Gibson, an Opotiki resident of 48 years. "Black Power's patch is on the other side of town."
Police have refused to speculate on whether the youths accused of killing Rowe have gang links, but many locals are less circumspect. One of Rowe's neighbours, Peter Collier, said there were drug and alcohol problems among the town's youth and the gangs are "battering each other", leaving residents "jumpy".
Another, who asked not to be named, said she always believed the town's next murder victim would be killed in a gang fight, not a former maths teacher described by friends as a "gentleman".
Rowe came to New Zealand from the UK where he served in the Navy. His wife, Phyllis, died in 1991 but his love affair with classical music continued."
We wonder if the Japanese woman who was raped in her host's home realised the background to Opotiki and if she was made fully aware of the possible risks of staying there.
Today's posts - click here
The two armed offenders broke into the Ford Street house in August and attacked the woman whilst her host family sat in another room watching television.
Mark Hati was said to have aspirations to become a patched member of the Mongrel Mob and expects to be accepted once his sentence has been served. Of course, the Mob may not exist by then which will be no sad loss for New Zealand, or the residents of Opotiki.
In June an Opotiki man was charged with the raped of a male French hitchhiker at gunpoint.
Opotiki also made the headlines in December of last year when two teenage girls were charged with the murder of elderly man John Rowe, a retired school teacher. His badly beaten body was found at his home in November 2008. Whilst reporting on Mr Rowe's murder the NZ Herald described Opotiki as follows:
"With wide streets and air of lost prosperity, Opotiki is not unlike dozens of small towns across New Zealand.
Now much of Opotiki's criminal activity is controlled by Mongrel Mob and Black Power chapters, with the innocent caught in the middle. "The Mongrel Mob own this patch," said Gibson, an Opotiki resident of 48 years. "Black Power's patch is on the other side of town."
Police have refused to speculate on whether the youths accused of killing Rowe have gang links, but many locals are less circumspect. One of Rowe's neighbours, Peter Collier, said there were drug and alcohol problems among the town's youth and the gangs are "battering each other", leaving residents "jumpy".
Another, who asked not to be named, said she always believed the town's next murder victim would be killed in a gang fight, not a former maths teacher described by friends as a "gentleman".
Rowe came to New Zealand from the UK where he served in the Navy. His wife, Phyllis, died in 1991 but his love affair with classical music continued."
We wonder if the Japanese woman who was raped in her host's home realised the background to Opotiki and if she was made fully aware of the possible risks of staying there.
Today's posts - click here
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