The happy couple were hit by thieves only hours after they arrived in New Zealand. Photo / Supplied
The happy couple were hit by thieves only hours after they arrived in New Zealand. Photo / Supplied
A young couple from Scotland, visiting New Zealand on their honeymoon, were only hours into their trip when thieves stole their possessions from their rental car - leaving them with little more than the clothes on their backs.
27-year-old Simon Duff and Daryl Matthews from Glasgow arrived in the country on Wednesday morning and were waiting for their Airbnb accommodation to become available when they parked at South Auckland's Tōtara Park to enjoy a short walk.
Returning to their car, the pair spotted a man loading their bags into the window of another vehicle.
"We started running towards him shouting 'Stop, stop, we need that'," said Duff. "But there was a driver. There was a woman and she reversed out quite quickly and sped away.
"We tried to give chase but we lost them completely."
The thieves had smashed a window of the car and taken nearly all of their possessions, including credit cards, prescription medicine and precious keepsakes. All that remained was a small backpack and what they had carried on their walk.
A screwdriver left at the scene by the thieves. Photo / Supplied
They reported the crime to police and then took matters into their own hands, using online banking to freeze their accounts and track the thieves.
"Once we got onto the wi-fi at the Airbnb I saw that they'd been using the card at a garage nearby," said Duff.
They then visited the Caltex petrol station on Weymouth Rd only 10 minutes after the thief had tried to use the stolen card to buy cigarettes.
The amateur detective duo got the registration number of the thieves' car and learned there was CCTV footage of the male.
Much of the theft is covered by insurance and they have been able to recover the funds spent on the card, but they say the real value is in their irreplaceable personal items.
Duff told the Herald: "There was a diary that we'd been keeping of all trips that we've done together for four years – that's just gone".
"Stuff like that... they're just going to put that in the bin but it means so much to us. It's the most frustrating and angering thing."
Since sharing their story on social media, the young couple have been flooded with messages of support and offers of help. Duff said "people were really rallying around us".
New Zealand is the latest stop in an extended honeymoon which has seen the pair travel across the world since July and this is the first time they've encountered crime.
Matthews said she felt for thieves despite the "serious hurt" they had caused, telling the Herald: "What they did was awful and the consequences have been really distressing but I feel bad for them because their life obviously must not be very nice if they need to do things like this."
Duff urged the offenders to sell anything of value if they had to but to leave their personal items at a police station, while Matthews issued a heartfelt plea: "Give me my diary back and I'll be happy."
A police spokesperson told the Herald that they had received the report and were looking into the matter.
They added: "This incident unfortunately serves as a general reminder that there are opportunistic offenders out there and we ask the public to always be aware of their surroundings and be on the lookout for any suspicious behaviour, particularly in public areas such as car parks.
"In general we ask the public to never leave valuables or belongings in vehicles and ensure their vehicle is always locked when unattended.
"Anyone who witnesses suspicious behaviour should contact Police immediately."
Police advise that you can learn more about how to protect your belongings here
