Rotorua: German tourists track suspect, criticise police after campervan break-in

German tourists Carolin Sommer and Lennart Heiderich tracked down a suspected thief after their campervan was broken into in Rotorua.

Two German tourists who had more than $7000 worth of belongings stolen from their campervan in Rotorua claim police have done “nothing” – even though the couple tracked down the suspected thief.

Police have acknowledged the “distressing” offence but say they “cannot be everywhere all the time” and had to prioritise incidents where lives may be at stake.

Carolin Sommer told the Rotorua Daily Post she and her boyfriend Lennart Heiderich, both 36, arrived in New Zealand on December 9 for a six-week holiday. They reached Rotorua last Friday.

On Saturday, at 10am, the couple went on a mountain biking tour in the Whakarewarewa Forest. Their campervan was parked at the Waipā Forest campground.

About noon, they discovered the passenger-side window of their campervan was broken and “everything” had been stolen, Sommer said.

This included a Sony DSLR camera, two pairs of AirPods, prescription glasses, power banks, headlamps, “expensive” mountain bike parts and gear, a first-aid kit, and toiletry bags – more than $7000 worth of belongings in total.

Their passports and keys were “luckily” in a safe.

German couple Carolin Sommer and Lennart Heiderich had their campervan broken into while in Rotorua.

Sommer said the couple were “shocked” and did not expect this to happen in New Zealand.

“We heard that [in] Rotorua ... these things can happen but we didn’t expect that they would really [smash] the window.”

They called the police to report the theft.

Sommer said the police recorded what happened and sent the couple an online link to upload photos and details of the incident.

“We asked them to come. But they didn’t come – they said they would only come if the perpetrators were still there or we had seen them,” Sommer said.

Couple tracks down alleged thief

Sommer, who said she was a forensics expert who worked with police in Germany, said their stolen AirPods were connected to their iPhones, so the couple “tracked” the alleged thief to Eason St.

“This works because other people who have iPhones, when they pass by our AirPods, the data is shared with Apple. So, you can track them down – it’s kind of like GPS but with Apple devices.”

Sommer said another couple at the campground went with Heiderich to Eason St while Sommer stayed at the campground.

“That’s where they saw this guy wearing my shirt and carrying our bag with all our belongings,” she said.

German couple Carolin Sommer and Lennart Heiderich had their campervan broken into while in Rotorua.

Sommer said Heiderich took a photo of the suspected thief. He called the police again and told them there was a “dangerous guy” with their things.

“But they didn’t come.”

Sommer said they went to the police station, but it was closed.

‘Nothing is happening’

Sommer said they went to a pharmacy in town that same day. On the way, “we saw this guy again on a bike with our bag”.

The couple followed him to a supermarket parking lot.

Sommer said they saw an off-duty police officer, told him what happened and asked if someone could get their things.

“He said they cannot do it just like that – they need a warrant.”

German tourists Carolin Sommer and Lennart Heiderich at Waiotapu near Rotorua.

She said the officer called his colleagues.

“We were again helpless and we didn’t know what to do.

“We were just driving around that afternoon and tracking our AirPods but the police told us it’s a very dangerous area and we shouldn’t go there.

“We kind of rely on the police to do that for us but nothing is happening.”

‘It is very frustrating’

The couple had called the police “five or six times” since Saturday, Sommer said.

“It is very frustrating.”

They had been updating their online police report twice a day with information and the location of their AirPods.

“I know in Germany, [police] would have responded differently. At least, someone would have come to the campground ... someone would have come when we were at this house seeing the guy.”

She believed the police viewed their report as “not important enough”.

“I know that it’s just belongings ... and everything can be replaced but it’s of high value.

“You know where your things are and no one’s doing anything.”

Police ‘actively undertaking’ enquiries

In a statement, area commander Inspector Herby Ngawhika said Rotorua police were “actively undertaking” inquiries to identify those involved and recover stolen property following a report of a campervan that was broken into and items stolen from inside on Saturday.

“A number of reports with further information have been made by the victims in this incident, which are assisting in our investigation.

“Police always work hard to investigate reports of criminal activity; however, we cannot be everywhere all the time and calls for service have to be prioritised.”

Ngawhika said incidents where there was “potential for an immediate risk to life” were top priority.

“We understand that this offending can have real impacts on victims, and acknowledge it can be distressing to have your vehicle broken into, especially when that vehicle is being used as your accommodation, and we encourage anyone who is victim of this offending to report it to police as soon as possible with as much information as possible.”

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.