Irish tourists robbed at gunpoint

Four Irish tourists travelling in New Zealand have been robbed of their van at gunpoint at a campsite in the north island.

Four Irish tourists travelling in New Zealand have been robbed of their van at gunpoint at a campsite in the north island.

The men, believed to be brothers, were staying in a cabin in Dargaville, near Auckland, when they were approached by two masked gunmen.

The robbers, who were wielding a long barrelled firearm and a pistol, demanded the keys to their rented van then drove off in the vehicle.

The incident occurred at around 12.30am on Monday in Dargaville Campervan Park, which was full of people enjoying the holiday period known as Labour Weekend in New Zealand.

The campsite manager, who did not want to be named, said it was the first time he had heard of such an incident happening in the area.

He said the men, who claimed they were brothers, had arrived at the ground late on Sunday night and had taken the last two available cabins.

They had then gone to the nearby Caltex petrol station for some food and the robbery had occurred shortly after their return, he said.

He added: “It is very unusual. It’s never happened before. It is not the sort of thing that happens in our area. It is totally out of character. I believe that they went down to Caltex to buy something to eat late at night and they showed somebody what they had on board. They were hawkers. They were selling stuff.

“These people must have just followed them when they went back. I was not on site when it happened. Nobody on site heard anything or saw anything here.”

Police said the gunmen were described as Maori males in their 20s and 30s who were both wearing hoodies with scarves over their faces.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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