Two tourists, one an American and the other a Brit, staying in Paihia (New Zealand) were both assaulted and robbed in separate attacks on October 12 local time, less than an hour apart, one of which left the American unconscious in the middle of the town's main road.
Two 16-year-olds, one from Paihia, the other from Moerewa, have been arrested in conjunction with the attacks. They both have appeared in the Kaikohe Youth Court facing two charges of aggravated robbery.
The two attacks occurred just after midnight and have been rigorously condemned by police and community leaders, who say they could damage the reputation and single biggest industry in the Bay of Islands.
COMMENT: The first incident occurred as a young American left a local bar and was walking in the direction of where he was staying. He was approached by two youths demanding a cigarette before he was punched by one and blind-sided by another, falling to the ground where he was kicked and stomped on. He was taken to Bay of Islands Hospital with head injuries and kept overnight for observation. His wallet and shoes were taken in the attack.
In the second case, a Briton visiting New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup, had been drinking with friends at a local bar, also after midnight, when the trio decided to go skinny-dipping. After their swim they were walking away from the beach when they saw a police car, which unknown to them was responding to the attack on the American. One of the Brits, realized he had forgotten his shoes and would meet his friends back where they were staying. Unfortunately, he subsequently ran into four youths, who asked him for a cigarette, at which point they assaulted him. Despite losing his wallet and shoes, he was able to escape and reach emergency vehicles who were attending to the injured American.
Both victims said they were surprised to be attacked in a country that purported to be a safe travel destination.
Paihia is the main tourist town in the Bay of Islands in the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located close to the historic towns of Russell, and Kerikeri, 60 kilometers north of Whangarei. The origin of the town's name is attributed to Reverend Henry Williams. When Williams first arrived in the Bay of Islands he knew only a few words of the Māori vocabulary, one of the words he did know was "pai" meaning "good." When they came to the place now known to be Paihioa, he told his Māori guide "Pai here." Hence, the missionary station eventually became known as Paihia.
As I have said in my book, STAYING SAFE ABROAD, "there is no 'safe country,' because criminals exist EVERYWHERE and often prey upon tourists because they don't know the area, don't expect to be threatened, carry money and are often vulnerable because of all of these factors, particularly at night. Even in countries with relatively low levels of street crime, tourists that have low levels of personal security awareness are always going to be victimized.
A case in point, is the 2006 case in New Zealand whereby a young Dutch couple on their honeymoon, who were awoken at night in their RV (ironically, not far from Paihia) after hearing two men identify themselves as police officers, only to have two career criminals place a shotgun under the husband's chin and demand money, saying they would rape his wife if he did not comply. The Dutch tourists complied and were then handcuffed as the husband was forced to watch his wife being raped. The couple's money card was then used to withdraw cash from an ATM. The gunmen later abandoned the couple in a wooded area where they found help at a nearby farmhouse. Both assailants in this case were fortunately sentenced to ten-year prison terms.
If there is any positive side-note to the case described above, the New Zealand government financially and logistically assisted the Dutch couple that had been victimized, including participation in New Zealand's victim assistance program.
Two 16-year-olds, one from Paihia, the other from Moerewa, have been arrested in conjunction with the attacks. They both have appeared in the Kaikohe Youth Court facing two charges of aggravated robbery.
The two attacks occurred just after midnight and have been rigorously condemned by police and community leaders, who say they could damage the reputation and single biggest industry in the Bay of Islands.
COMMENT: The first incident occurred as a young American left a local bar and was walking in the direction of where he was staying. He was approached by two youths demanding a cigarette before he was punched by one and blind-sided by another, falling to the ground where he was kicked and stomped on. He was taken to Bay of Islands Hospital with head injuries and kept overnight for observation. His wallet and shoes were taken in the attack.
Both victims said they were surprised to be attacked in a country that purported to be a safe travel destination.
Paihia is the main tourist town in the Bay of Islands in the far north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located close to the historic towns of Russell, and Kerikeri, 60 kilometers north of Whangarei. The origin of the town's name is attributed to Reverend Henry Williams. When Williams first arrived in the Bay of Islands he knew only a few words of the Māori vocabulary, one of the words he did know was "pai" meaning "good." When they came to the place now known to be Paihioa, he told his Māori guide "Pai here." Hence, the missionary station eventually became known as Paihia.
As I have said in my book, STAYING SAFE ABROAD, "there is no 'safe country,' because criminals exist EVERYWHERE and often prey upon tourists because they don't know the area, don't expect to be threatened, carry money and are often vulnerable because of all of these factors, particularly at night. Even in countries with relatively low levels of street crime, tourists that have low levels of personal security awareness are always going to be victimized.
A case in point, is the 2006 case in New Zealand whereby a young Dutch couple on their honeymoon, who were awoken at night in their RV (ironically, not far from Paihia) after hearing two men identify themselves as police officers, only to have two career criminals place a shotgun under the husband's chin and demand money, saying they would rape his wife if he did not comply. The Dutch tourists complied and were then handcuffed as the husband was forced to watch his wife being raped. The couple's money card was then used to withdraw cash from an ATM. The gunmen later abandoned the couple in a wooded area where they found help at a nearby farmhouse. Both assailants in this case were fortunately sentenced to ten-year prison terms.
If there is any positive side-note to the case described above, the New Zealand government financially and logistically assisted the Dutch couple that had been victimized, including participation in New Zealand's victim assistance program.
