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3 Chinese tourists robbed in New Zealand

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-08-22 13:52

Three Chinese tourists were robbed at knifepoint in New Zealand North Island's Far North region on Friday, police said.

Detective Sergeant Trevor Beatson said the tourists were assaulted on the roadside after stopping to help two Maori men aged in their 20s, at about 3:30 p.m. local time Friday, Radio New Zealand reported.

He said the tourists were flagged down on a gravel road running through Te Paki Reserve, just south of Cape Reinga, by the men who claimed they were lost.

The tourists were then set upon and assaulted as the men produced knives and demanded money and property.

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Beatson said it was a shocking incident.

"It was the worst possible thing that could have happened to them when they went out of their way to help these two men. They had come to New Zealand fully believing it was a safe place to holiday and now their holiday and impressions of our country have been shattered," he said.

So far, the police have not captured the robbers. A team of detectives has been working through the night at the scene, looking for forensic evidence and dealing with the victims.