Third degree for guests of Dotcom trying to enter New Zealand

Sarah Torrent was quizzed for seven hours at Auckland Airport yesterday after she told officials she would be staying at the mansion of Kim Dotcom.

Customs detain and quiz arrivals who give internet tycoon’s mansion as NZ address.

Welcome to New Zealand - unless you're here to see Kim Dotcom.

That seems to be the message for those arriving in the country after yet another guest visiting the businessman was detained by the Customs Service for hours.

A connection to the accused copyright pirate has been linked on another occasion with a long stay in a detention room - and a lot of strange questions.

Graphic designer Sarah Torrent, 22, spent seven hours being quizzed by officials after landing in New Zealand yesterday and telling border officials she was staying at Dotcom's house.

She had met Dotcom online and he invited her to travel to New Zealand for a holiday.

Dotcom said more than a dozen visitors have been isolated by the Customs Service after declaring his home address for their stay in New Zealand.

The Herald has previously written about Hollywood documentary maker Donovan Leitch being detained in 2012 when visiting to discuss making a movie of Dotcom's case, and about the strip search of Joia Stewart, girlfriend of musician Deryk "Sleep Deez" Mitchell, who was working on his music album.

Dotcom called the hours of questioning an "interrogation".

"Whenever I have visitors who are truthful about where they are staying, it is always the same. They are harassing these people. It shines a really bad light on New Zealand."

Ms Torrent said she told border officials she was planning on staying at Dotcom's and was instantly led away to be questioned.

She said questions included the nature of her relationship with Dotcom, whether she knew why he was not perceived in a positive light and what the pair had talked about.

She was also told to surrender passwords to her laptop and phone for curious border agents.

Ms Torrent claimed she was warned that refusal to hand over the passwords voluntarily meant she would lose her equipment and it would be breached anyway.

Kim Dotcom. Photo / Greg Bowker

"The forensic people will have their way with it," she said she was told.

"I don't have anything to worry about - I haven't done anything," she said. "I think they just totally wasted their time."

A Customs spokeswoman said the service would not comment on individual cases. In previous cases, in which comment was made, it came after a privacy waiver from the individual - a step the Herald is pursuing with Ms Torrent.

In the case of Ms Stewart, Customs said she was not detained because of her connection with Dotcom.

Click here to read about about the experience of Joia Stewart with NZ Customs Service.