Retiree beaten up by boy racers

File photo / NZ Herald

A 67-year-old who tried to quieten down boy racers near his campsite was punched in the face so hard that blood vessels in both his eyes burst.

The Alexandra retiree and his wife had parked overnight beside the lake near the Kingston Flyer Tavern and Cafe near Queenstown on Thursday.

Their sleep was interrupted about 2.30am by a car doing burnouts in a nearby carpark. The four-wheel drive was showering the couple's caravan with stones, Constable Jason Reid said.

The occupants of the car sped off when the man approached them but two men returned shortly afterwards and assaulted him, the Southland Times reported.

"One of the males, later identified as the passenger in the 4x4, immediately charged at him and allegedly began punching him in the face and head. The victim was reportedly pinned to the ground and punched numerous times in the face," Mr Reid said.

The driver intervened, stopping the alleged assault.

The man was left with a bleeding nose, graze, swelling and bruising to his face and burst blood vessels in both eyes and grazes on his back.

He was taken to Lakes District Hospital for observation and released later on Friday.

The passenger, an 18-year-old contractor from Christchurch, and the 35-year-old driver have been identified by police.

Charges relating to the burnouts and assault were likely.

- NZPA