Another visitor falls victim to thieves

Argentinian backpacker Ariadna Maskiver is reeling after her belongings were stolen from her car at Napier's Bluff Hill lookout. Photo / Duncan Brown

Ariadna Maskiver's working holiday in Hawke's Bay has been ruined, after thieves stole more than $3000 worth of items from her car.

The backpacker, 30, from Argentina, has been living in Napier and working as a trainee architect for the past five months.

One of her favourite spots in the region is the Bluff Hill lookout. On Saturday afternoon, she drove there for a picnic with a fellow traveller.

But while their backs were turned for about an hour, thieves broke into Ms Maskiver's Honda Civic and stole everything inside - including her passport, driver's license, phone, and a camera worth more than $1000. Her friend, Maria Paula Vallejos, who is another traveller from Argentina, also had her wallet and passport taken.

"I always go [to the lookout] - I don't know what happened," Ms Maskiver said. "When I saw my bag was missing, I started to scream."

Soon after the incident, somebody used her credit card in five transactions at a local supermarket, racking up a $400 bill.

It was also believed her camera had been briefly advertised on a Facebook page, with a photo of the camera and a caption asking for offers, before the post was taken down. The incident has been reported to police, and the victim hopes to view CCTV footage of the lookout today.

"I'm so sad, because I'm a backpacker. I'm alone here - I'm far away from my family," the distraught woman said yesterday.

She said the experience had tainted her time spent in Hawke's Bay.

"[The thieves] are so mean. This country doesn't need these kinds of people."

Ailne Bradley, the Westshore woman who the tourist is staying with, said the theft had left the backpacker shaken. She had hoped to travel around the South Island and Australia, but now her plans were uncertain.

"She was looking at going down south mid-October, but she's re-thinking all that," she said. "She's really frightened."

However, there had been a heartening response from the community on social media, with an appeal to help find the culprits shared almost 100 times.

Police Senior Sergeant Sarah Thorn, who was not familiar with this specific incident, said it was safest not to leave valuables in cars.

"Keep all your valuables out of the vehicle, or keep them out of sight - that's the safest way to be."

Hawke's Bay Tourism general manager Annie Dundas said the incident was "appalling," and did not reflect well on the region.

"It's disgusting quite frankly. It's especially awful when it's a visitor who we're trying to welcome to the region."

A French couple visiting Napier were left with only the clothes on their backs after their campervan was broken into in June. In that same month, a Nepalese student was robbed of $2000 cash while cycling on Havelock Rd.