Stop thugs ruining our tourism, say businesses | Northland News | Local News in Northland

If nothing's done about the thuggery blighting Paihia, the Bay of Islands' vital tourist industry will suffer, say business owners after two attacks on German backpackers in one night.

In the first incident, a 20-year-old was invited to a party on Puketona Rd last Wednesday, where he was bashed and robbed of a camera and toiletries.

He had surgery at Auckland's Middlemore Hospital last Friday, and was discharged on Sunday.

Paihia police searched two homes in the Puketona Rd area last week and are confident of making arrests.

About 3am the next morning, two  Germans were lured up School Rd where they were robbed of their passports, driver's licences, cash and car keys.

The victims, aged 19 and 23, were treated at Bay of Islands Hospital  for cuts and bruises. One has since cut his holiday short and returned home.

The stolen items were found later  on the day of the robbery on Paihia's Village Green.

The Kaikohe CIB is investigating  the attack and is still keen to hear about anything suspicious between 3am and 4am last Thursday.

Police believe the assaults are unrelated, saying the similarities are a "horrible coincidence".

Paihia Sergeant Peter Masters said the attacks could give the Bay of Islands a bad name, and damage the area's biggest industry.

"We should be treating our visitors like gold," he said.

Anyone concerned about attacks on tourists could make it known that such behaviour would not be tolerated in Paihia, and pass on any information to the police.

The town could also expand its limited CCTV - but that was up to the community, not the police.

It was also important to keep the attacks in perspective, Mr Masters said.

"It's unfortunate this has happened in Paihia, but it's generally a safe town and offers a lot to visitors."

As the news filtered out last week upset residents headed to the police station to see if there was anything they could do. Among them was Beachfront Holiday Park manager Dusty Miller.

After a brutal attack on a Dutch couple at Haruru Falls three years ago, Mr Miller noticed a marked drop in the number of Dutch visitors.

"We have to stand up and say, 'there's a problem here'," he sauid.

"It's not going to be fixed if we don't front up."

 Mr Miller said there was no simple answer.

It was unrealistic to call for more police - numbers had already gone from one to three in the past three years - and the community patrol was also under-resourced for an area as widely spread as the Bay of Islands, he said.

 Mr Miller suggested a bigger community presence on the streets at night, or asking  businesses to chip in for CCTV or night-time security.

And with most rates coming from tourist areas such as the Bay of Islands,  Mr Miller queried whether the Far North District Council should play a bigger part in keeping visitors safe.

Paihia Community Patrol is planning to increase its night patrols in the wake of the attacks.

The School Rd attack has  been reported overseas via the blog Emigratetonewzealand.com, which specialises in stories about crime and crashes involving tourists.