An 18-year-old Northlander has been seriously injured in an alleged attack on Paihia beach - as was his father who was trying to rescue him.
Four Waitangi men, aged 22-39, have been arrested in relation to the incident. All face the serious charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Detective Sergeant Rhys Johnston, of Kerikeri police, said the incident stemmed from a minor scuffle outside one of Paihia's licensed premises on Thursday night. It appeared the two groups had then "got their backs up" about each others' presence in the town.
"That was followed by the usual macho posturing that leads to violence," he said.
After the bars closed at 1am, a large number of people remained on the streets. The victim, an 18-year-old from Kaikohe, feared the other group involved in the altercation was looking for him so called his parents and asked to be rescued.