Around the turn of the century a tourist was murdered in Laos. This was huge news, Laos back then having a well deserved reputation for its gentle culture, unmatched by virtually any other nation to my knowledge.
The American government promptly issued a danger warning to any American tourists who back then bothered visiting. Such was the international scorn they copped, they rightly withdrew it after 2 days.
Laos is still a uniquely quiet and peaceful land albeit with mass global travel now the norm, tourism has become an important foreign exchange earner. But no more murders or attacks on visitors, let alone locals.
Tourism is also now an important foreign exchange earner for New Zealand. Sooner or later a foreign journalist will expose its very real dangers to tourists of being assaulted or murdered in Coneland. Lately it seems these are almost weekly events.
It’s not remarked on by our own journalists and commentators for one reason, namely Kiwis abiding fear of telling the truth on this subject, specifically being branded racists given the offenders are nearly always maoris. But like it or not, that is the common denominator.
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A history of cannibalism as a daily ritual – still there in spirit in the mind-numbingly ridiculous haka – at least gives tourists an insight into what’s ahead, if they think about it surely.
Agree, sir Bob. Auckland is like the wild west and the recent assault in the Ngaruwahia bottle store is indicative of a nationwide malaise. We are being bombarded with “whanau” and “kia kaha” – empty platitudes.
Unfortunately this is a fact.
Yes, it’s so easy for people to jump down my throat screaming “racist” whenever I say that everyone should be treated equally!
I moved up to the Coromandel for work and lived there for 2 years or so. It became my habit to carry a baseball bat in the car with me, and I certainly wouldn’t dream of “freedom camping” or such like in that region. Much of NZ has become testament to the adage that “the devil finds work for idle hands”.