German visitors’ bizarre trip to Nūhaka: Motorbike stolen then paraded in front of them

A German father and son’s dream motorbike trip around the North Island took an eerie turn after one of their bikes was stolen and paraded in front of them in northern Hawke’s Bay.

The pair say they were threatened by the alleged thieves and forced to hide away in a friend’s bach during the ordeal, which occurred on Monday in Nūhaka, near Wairoa.

The bike was eventually recovered, but it now requires major repairs and a Givealittle page has been set up to help the man and his 17-year-old son get back on their road trip.

The father, who did not want to be named, said they had just travelled around the East Cape when they arrived in Nūhaka on Sunday to stay at a friend’s holiday home.

The German father and son with their motorbikes, including the recovered and seriously damaged bike (front). Photo / Connull Lang

They woke about 3am that night to watch a Rocket Lab launch close by and realised one of their KTM 620cc motorbikes was missing, despite having a steering lock.

“We were gobsmacked,” the father said. “It was parked behind the house.”

After staying awake all night and reporting the bike stolen, they were standing outside chatting to the neighbour about 8am when the bike went past them several times.

“The bike was going up and down the road, completely stripped. A young guy [was riding it] with a bandana on and no helmet. They were really trying to provoke us, because they could have kept the bike and hidden it.

“But the whole situation felt really threatening. It was not just, ‘We will steal your bike’. It was more than that.”

He said they watched it pull into a house just three doors up the street.

“When I pulled into the property, there was a young girl on the deck laughing at me, pulling the finger at me, and I turned around straight away because the police had told me, ‘Don’t try to retrieve the bike yourself’.”

Back at the bach, they could see people at that house looking at them and even “making signs like [imitating] cutting our throats”.

“They were definitely threatening us.”

He said they suspected they were gang-affiliated. He mentioned a vehicle pulled out of that house and the occupants started glaring at them.

They hid away inside, “really fearful that they were coming for us”, and police arrived about an hour later from Wairoa after they called them again.

The alleged thieves dumped the bike on the road after police arrived and it was recovered.

Despite extensive damage, the tourists managed to ride it back to the Wairoa police station, and then to Napier.

It has since been taken off the road and sent to Whangārei for repairs, while the father and his 17-year-old son are now down to one bike and their road trip is in doubt.

The father said he was surprised police had not searched the house and made any arrests or tried to recover the roughly $3000 in parts.

A police spokesperson said they received a report early on Monday of a motorbike burglary on Nūhaka Opoutama Rd.

“With this information, police made enquiries and located and recovered the motorcycle.

“Enquiries are ongoing to determine any further police action.”