Help offered to abducted Dutch couple

The Royal Netherlands Embassy has offered assistance to the young Dutch couple who were abducted in the Far North.

The honeymooners were in their campervan in a car park at Hururu Falls near Paihia in the Bay of Islands on Friday when they were accosted by two men.

They were held at gunpoint while their white 1988 Toyota Hiace was driven around the region. The woman was sexually assaulted and the couple were forced to withdraw funds from their bank accounts.

The tourists were eventually abandoned at a cemetery near Kawakawa. The couple are staying in New Zealand at this stage, to help police with their enquiry and have been offered counselling.

The Dutch Embassy has been in touch with the husband to offer assistance with getting replacement passports and to help with travel back to the Netherlands.

Spokesperson Leo Bouter says the couple have not made up their minds as to when they will return home.

- NEWSTALK ZB