Trouble in paradise: Family assaulted on way to Waiheke beach

Rhiannon Barr, Max Kumar and their two-year-old son Leonardo are extremely shaken after Kumar was bashed twice in the face on Waiheke Island on Saturday afternoon. Photo / Supplied

A young family claims they were accosted and attacked by a group of armed assailants after their vehicle was stopped in broad daylight on their way to a Waiheke Island beach.

The shocked mother says her partner lost a tooth and suffered a suspected broken nose while their young son watched traumatised from his car seat on Saturday afternoon.

The alleged assault is the latest in a spate of terrifying violent incidents across Auckland in the last week, including armed intruders threatening to kill four flatmates in their Onehunga home early on Friday morning.

One person was also injured in a shooting near Karangahape Rd at the weekend, a man was stabbed in a Manukau bar, another man died after a serious assault in Otahuhu and there have been several late night doorknocking incidents on the North Shore.

A Police media spokesperson confirmed police were making inquiries into a report of an alleged assault on Waiheke Island's Whakarite Rd in Ostend on Saturday.

Rhiannon Barr and her partner Max Kumar were driving to have fish and chips at Surfdale beach about 1.30pm when they say a woman with blonde hair appeared on the road. As the car got closer the woman, believed to be in her late 20s, stood in the middle of the road screaming abuse and blocking them from getting past, Barr said.

"She was saying to me, 'Do you want to fight, do you want to fight, do you want to get out and fight'."

Feeling scared, Barr locked the doors of their ute as the woman tried to gain access.

"I was freaking out ... I was like, 'No, I have my baby in the car'."

A second womanthen appeared on the driver's side where Kumar was sitting and pushed her arm through the open driver's window, Barr said.

She tried to grab the keys from the ignition, but the car's anti-theft function wouldn't let her.

Barr then yelled at Kumar to drive off but the car started bunny hopping before coming to a stop.

The second woman then pulled out a chain and wrapped it around her knuckles, using the same fist to punch Kumar twice in the face, Barr claimed.

Blood started pouring from Kumar's face. He was left with one broken and one chipped tooth.

He also appeared to have suffered a broken nose.

Barr said the women were banging on the vehicle's windows, frightening the couple's 2-year-old son Leonardo who was screaming in the back seat.

A white ute then appeared from behind carrying several men who started laughing at them, she said.

"It was like a movie, seriously. They came out and there are three guys and two of them have a hammer each, because it's like their work truck, and one of them has a crowbar. So they are all holding a weapon."

Max Kumar has a swollen nose and one broken and one chipped tooth after being assaulted on Waiheke Island on Saturday aftenoon as he drove his family to the beach. Photo / Supplied

The blonde woman had also grabbed a metal pipe, Barr said.

"At that point they were being really really intimidating. It was really fricken surreal."

Barr's partner eventually managed to get away by swerving on to the wrong side of the road and driving in part of a ditch, while Barr called police.

"I was so traumatised. I couldn't talk properly."

The couple, who are in their early 20s, drove to the local police station and gave statements.

They said the officer told them a resident had witnessed the alleged attack.

"It happened really fast. So much happened in the space of five minutes."

Barr said the response from the community had been supportive, but she wanted people to know bad things still happened on the island.

"A lot of people think Waiheke Island is this amazing island paradise, when stuff like this goes on."

Barr said the alleged assault had left the couple, who had lived on the island for four years and ran a small maintenance business, extremely shaken.

Kumar had just recovered from a hip injury and they were starting to rebuild their business.

He had been to the accident and emergency centre on Saturday, but was still in immense pain, so was returning to his GP today.

Waiheke community board member Bob Upchurch said he had not heard of the incident but described it as disappointing.

"The answer is no, it doesn't usually happen on Waiheke, so when something like this happens it is huge and normally the word spreads pretty quick."

Upchurch said Waiheke was a small community and if a description of the offenders had been given then he would expect police to know who they are.

Anyone with any information is urged to contact Waiheke Police on 09 372 1150, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.