Unfortunately crimes against tourists in Northland don’t seem to be abating despite the widespread publicity that some recent incidents have attracted.

Anke Kuballa, 20, and Marc Busch, 22, bought a touring van for $1,600 in Auckland and were driving  it north to Whangarei a month later when the clutch failed. They paid $600 to a local Whangarei mechanic to have it fixed. Shortly afterward they were doing some shopping in the town and when they returned to where they’d left the vehicle found that it had been stolen, along with $13,000 worth of belongings  including passports, three cameras, two iPods, four backpacks and camping gear.

According to an article in the Northern Advocate the couple said they thought it would be a good idea if tourists were warned about thieves as soon as they arrived in NZ. We agree with them.

We’ve also said that we think that tourists should have access to free, safety deposit boxes or lockers in some tourist towns. It would give them somewhere safe to leave valuable equipment, cash and passports and also make them less of a target for muggers and thieves.

See also our other posts about:
Numerous incidents involving German tourists
Northland 

 Today’s posts – click here