Bike thefts sour sweet ride for tourists

Giorgia Ricci (left) and Chiara Vignoli, Italian tourists, are stranded in Rotorua after cycle thieves struck. Photo / Ben Fraser

It was meant to be an adventure of a lifetime - cycling around New Zealand and seeing the countryside.

But for Giorgia Ricci and Chiara Vignoli, the adventure has turned sour after their bikes were stolen while camping in Rotorua on Sunday.

The pair are now appealing for whoever took the bikes, or who might know where they are, to return them so they can carry on with their holiday.

But for the time being they're stranded in Rotorua while they work with police to try to find the bikes, and look at ways to buy new ones.

Miss Ricci said they didn't take out travel insurance for the bikes, which they bought new from the Bike Barn in Auckland when they arrived in the country three weeks ago.

They thought the bikes would be safe unlocked a few metres away from their campsite, but that changed when they saw them being ridden away.

"We wanted to try a new experience. The beginning is perfect but now it is terrible."

Miss Vignoli said she was left feeling unsafe after the incident. However, she said they were grateful to The Backyard Inn for upgrading them from a camping site to a chalet free of charge to help make them feel safer.

While they knew there were bad people anywhere, the theft had left them with bad memories of Rotorua.

Anyone with information on the bikes - black with green Merida branding - can contact Constable Pete Riordan at the Rotorua police.