Police yet to interview stab victim

Police are still looking for information after a man was stabbed while walking in a Whangarei park.

A 69-year-old man stabbed several times while walking in a Whangarei park is yet to be formally interviewed by police as they wait for him to recover sufficiently.

Late yesterday the man was still in Whangarei Hospital following the Saturday evening attack in Riverside Park on Riverside Drive that left him with multiple knife wounds.

Detective Sergeant Dave Wilkinson said police had spoken briefly with the man but until they had spoken with him more extensively they were still trying to piece together exactly what had happened.

"The first priority has been his medical care," Mr Wilkinson said.

Officers were hoping to speak with the 69-year-old Whangarei man later yesterday, when a hospital spokesperson said it was possible the patient would be released.

Police were examining CCTV footage from cameras in the area but did not have a description of the attacker.

The stabbing happened in the park, on the increasingly popular Hatea Loop where people walk, run and cycle, between 6pm and 6.45pm.

The victim was wearing a bright-yellow raincoat. He was able to phone for help.

Police would not say how many times the man was stabbed or whether anything was stolen.

However, they said the man had been left "traumatised and confused by the whole experience and very fearful".

It was at least the third major knife crime in Whangarei in just over three days, after a pizza-delivery man and a woman were robbed at knifepoint on Wednesday, but there was no evidence they were linked.

Anyone who may have seen the man, or any suspicious behaviour, in the area around the time of the attack should call Whangarei police on 09 4304500 or 0800 Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.