KEY POINTS:
Nelson police are hunting for a man with bad breath and body odour who tried to drag a woman tourist into bushes in broad daylight yesterday.
The 24-year-old Australian woman had been in New Zealand for about 10 days travelling with a tour group.
Detective Aaron Kennaway said she decided to walk from Tahunanui to central Nelson and was walking along Haven Road about 2pm when a man joined her. He said his name was "Pete" and that he was from Christchurch.
The woman felt uneasy and planned to go into a shop to get away from him.
However, before she could he grabbed her wrists and pulled her into bushes near Auckland Point School.
The woman screamed and got away from him, and a couple stopped their car and yelled at the man to leave her alone.
The man in the car initially chased the offender before calling police, who were unable to find him.
Mr Kenneway said the attempted abduction had "sexual overtones" and could have ended badly.
Police had heard from a number of people who had seen the incident or the pair walking along the road before the attack, he told the Nelson Mail.
The man was described as having light olive skin, and being about 180cm tall and of medium build.
He was aged in his early 40s, had greying hair and stubble and bad body and breath odour.
He was wearing dark trainers, dark jeans, a dark jacket and a cap with a logo on the front.
- NZPA
