part of the Gulf Harbour car park (stock photo)

This alert was recently published on the Hibiscus Coast’s Facebook group’s page. The daughter of a South African migrant was understandably shaken up after she was stalked by a man driving a white van in Gulf Harbour, north of Auckland.

Please be aware if you live in Gulf Harbour ….there is a white van …no markings ..that followed my daughter of 34 years approx 20 mins ago …..while she was walking the dog ……she had to run for her life as he watched her and followed her …she ran to the marina …… called out for someone to help her ……the van then sped away …up Ocean View Drive at one hang of a speed ……the security from the marina drove her home ….we have just allerted the police ….please be careful …….we are from South Africa …11 years here and are used to incidents like this …. my daughter said she has never been so terrified since we arrived……..she unfortunately did not have her contact lenses in ….nor had her mobile with her ….but said the van looked like a old ice cream van ……or similar …….she only saw a shadow of a van …due to not having her contact lenses in …..please alert anyone you know who lives around here …….!!!!!!

It would appear this is not the first incident of its kind in this region and people, especially women and children, are advised to take care. The post, published 19 hours ago, has generated an intense discussion about personal safety in the area.

The person who raised the alert later posted an update, with a criticism of the local response to a 111 (emergency) call. It’s incredible but no-one was sent out to investigate this until the following day

JUST TO LET EVERYONE KNOW …I HAVE JUST SPOKEN TO THE OREWA POLICE….WHO  HAVE BEEN ALERTED BY 111 …WHEN WE CALLED YESTERDAY EVENING, AND THEY
HAVE OPENED A CASE AND ARE COMING TO OUR HOME TO TAKE A STATMENT FROM MYDAUGHTER AND ARE TAKING THIS VERY SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!  THEY ARE VERY
ALARMED THAT 111 DID NOT SEND ANYONE OUT LAST NIGHT!!!!!!!!  SO THE FACT THAT NO ONE CAME TO OUR AID WAS AN ISSUE WITH 111!!!!!!!

The cops want folks to go to the police station and report any incident …to actually open a case ..which my daughter has done now!!!! so folks please if anything happens to anyone ….please go to the police
station and report it immediately ….!!! They wish more folks would take such things more seriously !! They say too many people discount their natural suspicions or mark it off as being paranoid!!!  THIS IS A
VERY SERIOUS MATTER!!!

People are talking about how they no longer feel safe in this place

“I used to feel so safe wandering around the coast at night by myself, gone are those days tho. Maybe when your daughter is feeling up to she could jump on google and find a similar match photo of the van we need to be on the look out for and upload for us all.

I often walk the dog down by the new marina and its very isolated wont bedoing that again for a long time i guess which is such a shame as its abeautiful walk – will stick to the busy roads.   Bugger.  Why do these
bloody creeps make us so scared to live our lives!

 -Someone just said at work that the same thing happened in Greenhithe last year. Possibly same guy. Might now live on Whangaparaoa – if not seen leaving the peninsula. Eyes open people.

-Yes I’d heard Greenhithe and Red beach…and from memory it was a white van in both those cases?

-Apparently the red beach guy was cleared but his was a different vehcile the “looks llike an icecream truck” is not found or cleared of 2 suspected attempts of some wrong doings ie following trying grab a lad jsut in front of his mum PLease parents be overprotective!

Stay safe, keep your young ones close this holiday season and report suspicious activity to the police.

In October there was a series of attempted abductions in the area.

Police investigate third abduction attempt in Auckland (TVNZ) 19 October 2012

Police are investigating a third attempt to lure children into a vehicle by a man on Auckland’s North Shore.

On Wednesday afternoon, a nine-year-old girl was offered a lift by an unknown man in a white two door vehicle.

Yesterday, two 13-year-old girls were approached in Red Beach by a man fitting the same description, again offering a ride.

Both girls declined and their parents and police were notified.

And on Monday, a five-year-old boy in Greenhithe was allegedly grabbed by the man, but the boy managed to get away.

Second North Shore kidnap attempt (Stuff.co.nz) 18 October 2012
A second child in three days has been the subject of an attempted kidnapping on Auckland’s North  Shore.

A Red  Beach School girl was approached yesterday afternoon by a Caucasian man in a two-door white vehicle, offering her a ride home.

The man fitted the description of the offender who grabbed a five-year-old boy in Greenhithe on Monday afternoon.

Julie Hepburn, principal of Red Beach School, posted a message to parents on Facebook this morning saying yesterday’s incident had highlighted the need to remind children about “stranger danger”…

Please note. The vans shown above are not connected to this incident.