The Northern Advocate is carrying a story about a group of Japanese homestay students who lost most of their possessions whilst on a trip to Northland.
We’ve often blogged about crime in Northland, time and time again unwary travellers have been mugged and assaulted, or their vehicles broken into for the valuables they contain.
As ever, we advise all visitors not to carry valuables and not to leave them in their cars or campervans. We also suggested that Northland towns could provide safety deposit lockers for tourist use. We’ve also asked for tourism authorities to run public awareness campaigns aimed at visitors, with the hope of making them less of a target for opportunistic criminals, but unfortunately the crimes continue. It’s not just the victims that are being harmed, the reputation of Northland and the local tourism industry is also suffering,
“Five Japanese woman had their van broken into and three bags stolen within an hour of arriving in Whangarei yesterday for a week-long trip.
Three of the upset women were left with only the clothes they were standing in. They returned to the North Shore, where they were studying English, rather than continue their holiday in the North.
The women had planned to stay a week, go on tourist rides, visit Waitangi, Paihia, Russell, Cape Reinga, Waipoua Forest and many other places…
Less than a month ago two German tourists had their silver Toyota Liteace van broken into while at the Town Basin and their possessions rifled through and much stolen, including air tickets, toiletries and a bag.”
Whangarei District Councillor Jeroen Jongejans, chairman of the Northland Tourism said “stealing from tourists was low and did enormous damage to the region, reputation-wise and financially…”more here
Drew Hackett, the host of one of the students left a message on the Advocate’s website saying,
“Has the host father of one of the Japanese girls, as a New Zealander, I feel so embarresed that this happens so much in this country. These
girls planned this trip for quite a while, took a week off school and withing 2 hours of setting off, their planned trip changed because of some low life in Whangarei.
No they are nervous of going anywhere else in New Zealand and the entire english school and all its foreign students now know it is not advisable to travel north of Auckland.
What a kick in the guts for the decent people of Northland.”
You may also be interested in other Northland crime stories
Northland Schoolkids March Against Crime
French Tourists’ Campervan Attack – Jail Sentences Handed Down Three French tourists, Antonin Schopfer, 27, Guillaume Rey, 26, and Sebastien Vautier, 29 beaten and robbed as they camped in Mangamuka, Northland.
What Are You Doing In OUR Town?” Fear and loathing at Kawakawa’s iconic Hundertwasser toilets
Good Day For Northland Tourists A burglar with 24 previous convictions has been jailed for three years for a string of thefts from tourist vehicles in Whangarei.
A family of Swiss tourists assaulted and racially abused in Kaitaia.
Two German tourists attacked in Paihia.
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.
Dutch couple robbed and sexually attacked Haruru Falls, Northland whilst on honeymoon.
American campers Patrick Dykstra and Kelsey McGinley beaten and robbed at Whangarei Falls,
.
Two American tourists robbed at Shipwreck Bay whilst sandboarding
Asian woman, (probably Japanese) age 22, raped in her room by 2 teenagers in a home invasion in Opotiki, Northland
Anke Kuballa and Marc Busch from Germany who were robbed in Whangarei.
E2NZ.org 
Did you notice all the apologies and offers intended to “erase” the crime? like the abusive DV husband who keeps bashing and thinks that “sorry” every time will do it!
Northland is just lovely. Teens disemboweled in Whangarei, people stabbed in the back in Kaeo, and now a new paedo in Kaitaia.
Quote: “We’ve often blogged about crime in Northland, time and time again unwary travellers have been mugged and assaulted, or their vehicles broken into for the valuables they contain”.
Do you realise there are many countries that are free from marauding criminals ?
Or they have effective policing. And the onus is not on the tourist to take extraordinary precautions. It seems tourists believe they are in a civilised country.
I a’m very sorry. New Zealand suffers almost exactly the same crime statistics as other western nations with an underclass of immigrants or an ethnic minority of 10 – 14% this group commits over 80% of all crime. Its a fact that is ignored because bringing attention to It will have the author or reporter (in this case myself) labeled or accused of racisim.
Its a taboo for polititions, so there is no action taken to rectify the problem.
I a’m a European New Zealander. I too a’m leaving this country to live in Russia.
Its a poor country but safer,cheaper,cultured and free from political correctness.
While some crime rates in New Zealand are not remarkable, I believe that some are, like burglary. Actually, an ex-policeman told my father about his experiences in dealing with criminals opperating in tourist hotspots who targeted tourists’ vehicles. He said that was common practice.