Sex attacker had accent

An English woman tourist sexually assaulted on a popular walking track in the Bay of Islands may have been attacked by another foreign tourist.

The 27-year-old victim told Paihia police she was accosted by a man and dragged from a walking track between the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and the Haruru Falls carpark late on Wednesday.

She was subjected to what police say was a serious sexual assault between 5.30 and 6pm.

The woman suffered bruising and was treated locally but did not need to go to hospital.

She has described her attacker as an athletically built European in his mid to late 30s who carried what appeared to be a full backpack and spoke with what she believed to be a North American accent.

He wore blue jeans and a navy blue T-shirt with a white circular pattern on the front, and was barefoot at the time of the attack.

He had dark brown hair and wore a large ring on his right hand.

The woman was last night being cared for by Mid North Victim Support as police tried to ascertain exactly where she was dragged from the track, which usually takes an hour to walk.

It is understood that after the attack, the victim alerted a friend, who told the police.