KEY POINTS:
Police investigating the abduction and robbery of a young Dutch couple in their campervan in the Bay of Islands have extended their search area.
As a result of calls and sightings of the campervan, police were now widening their investigation to include Whangarei, Northland Detective Inspector Mike Pannett said.
He said it appeared the attackers had taken the abducted couple to Whangarei in the early hours of Saturday before the victims and their campervan were abandoned in Towai.
Police were also able to confirm the offenders had tried to obtain money with the victims' bank cards, at a Kawakawa ATM between 6am and 6.30am on Saturday, he said.
Mr Pannett said there seemed to be a slight age difference between the two offenders, with the older offender being more dominant and aggressive in nature.
While both were described as being of solid build the older of the two offenders was the "more solid" of the pair, he said.
Gifts and messages of support have poured in for the couple.
Leo Bouter, deputy head of mission at the Dutch Embassy in Wellington, said he was forwarding "very generous offers" to the police.
"People are offering houses, baches, cars, whatever. It's really overwhelming and indicates the other side of New Zealand," he said.
Mr Bouter had also been contacted by anxious parents in the Netherlands whose children were on honeymoon in New Zealand, but was able to reassure them their children were safe.
The ordeal had been widely publicised on Dutch TV and in newspapers, but it was hard to say whether it would harm tourism.
"The perception of New Zealand as a clean, green and safe country sometimes leads people to be less careful than they would be elsewhere," Mr Bouter said.
Police are looking for two men with dark complexions, probably Maori, and aged between 20 and 40.
The men are of solid build; one was taller than the other. They covered their faces during the attack.
They appeared to have a good knowledge of the Bay of Islands area.
- NZPA, NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)
