Two French tourists, both 21, have been left with little more than the clothes on their backs after being assaulted and robbed on Saturday (July 7) on New Zealand's North Island. The two men were reportedly hitchhiking hitchhiking from Mount Maunganui to
Rotorua when two unknown assailants picked them up at 1600.
They were then driven to an abandoned Shell service station on State Highway Two, near Welcome Bay Road in Papamoa, where they were attacked. The robbers took nearly all their possessions, including a pack, clothing, passports and all of their cash and money cards, leaving the two French men unable to support themselves. The tourists have minor injuries and have been traumatized by the event.
COMMENT: Although the communities of Bay of Plenty, Auckland and Hawkes Bay have offered assistance to the two Frenchmen, and because they were robbed of everything they had, the young tourists are contemplating returning to France.
As most of our regular readers know, crime in New Zealand is a frequent occurrence. Unfortunately, a large number of my postings over the last year have involved crime victims who were hitchhiking when victimized. Please remember that it is not safe to hitchhike anywhere. If you engage in such activity to save a bit of money, you do so at your own risk.
Those considering travel to New Zealand should search my nearly 1,300 postings under the caption "crime in New Zealand."
Foreign tourists and travelers who are victims of crime in New Zealand should realize that there is a national crime victim compensation program in the country that foreign visitors are eligible to apply for. For information, please go to:
http://www.https://www.ncjrs.gov/ovc_archives/reports/intdir2005/newzealand.
They were then driven to an abandoned Shell service station on State Highway Two, near Welcome Bay Road in Papamoa, where they were attacked. The robbers took nearly all their possessions, including a pack, clothing, passports and all of their cash and money cards, leaving the two French men unable to support themselves. The tourists have minor injuries and have been traumatized by the event.
COMMENT: Although the communities of Bay of Plenty, Auckland and Hawkes Bay have offered assistance to the two Frenchmen, and because they were robbed of everything they had, the young tourists are contemplating returning to France.
As most of our regular readers know, crime in New Zealand is a frequent occurrence. Unfortunately, a large number of my postings over the last year have involved crime victims who were hitchhiking when victimized. Please remember that it is not safe to hitchhike anywhere. If you engage in such activity to save a bit of money, you do so at your own risk.
Those considering travel to New Zealand should search my nearly 1,300 postings under the caption "crime in New Zealand."
Foreign tourists and travelers who are victims of crime in New Zealand should realize that there is a national crime victim compensation program in the country that foreign visitors are eligible to apply for. For information, please go to:
http://www.https://www.ncjrs.gov/ovc_archives/reports/intdir2005/newzealand.
