Aerial shot of the Tauranga waterfront and central business district. Photo/File
Aerial shot of the Tauranga waterfront and central business district. Photo/File
At the end of last year, a 25-year-old Tauranga man stepped out of a taxi about midnight on The Strand with three mates - minutes later he had been punched in the jaw and was pulling two men off his friend.
The man, who told his story on the conditionhe was not named, had been going to a bar with his friends when they walked past two men having an argument.
"I said 'that's enough guys' to try to annul the situation, but I didn't really want to have any part of it, we just kept walking forward," he said.
A man several metres away started swearing and screaming at him.
"He boosted straight over and started swinging at me and clipped me on the jaw.
They managed to make it to a nearby bar, dazed and hurt. His friend was hospitalised with a split lip, tooth and concussion.
The man has not been out in Tauranga CBD at night socially since the attack, which took place at the end of last year, saying he feared a similar incident would occur.
"I don't enjoy the whole vibe.
"It's got a weird vibe, it doesn't feel safe even though there are a lot of police around."
