Storekeeper served hitchhiker before her death

Police examine the area where the woman's body was discovered. David Fairey / Getty Images

A storekeeper has described meeting a slain hitchhiker just hours before her death.

The body of the woman, believed to be German and in her mid-20s, was found near Lucy's Gully, 17km south-west of New Plymouth on Tuesday evening.

Police believe the woman stayed in Wanganui on Monday night then left to hitchhike to New Plymouth about 8.30am the next morning. She was given a lift to Waitotara, 34km north-west of Wanganui, and this is where she was last seen alive.

Bill Hahn, of the Waitotara Hotel, said she came into the Waitotara Store, which is part of the hotel, about 9.15am on the day of her death.

"She came into the shop and bought a bottle of water," Mr Hahn said.

The store hadn't officially opened but let the woman in out of courtesy.

"She used the toilet and thanked us, put her backpack on her shoulders, and we last saw her walking towards the main road."

Mr Hahn described her as an attractive, tall woman aged about 25 or 26 with black hair.

"She was dropped off here because the driver of the vehicle was only going this far," he said.

The woman was pleasant but didn't say where she had been or where she was going.

Another Waitotara man reported to police he had seen the woman walking towards Waverley and police were appealing for further sightings.

The victim was of slight build, about 1.75m tall with shoulder length black hair that may have been tied back and could have been wearing glasses.

She was wearing blue denim jeans, a green jersey or top and possibly a windbreaker jacket. She was wearing tramping boots and had large and small, dark coloured, backpacks with her.

Tony Barnes, whose property backs onto Lucy's Gully, said: "What I find really quite horrifying is that this lady was a visitor to our country. She thought she was coming to a safe place and her last memory of it will be someone coming at her with a knife."

Mr Barnes said the reserve -- part of Egmont National Park -- was used regularly by locals and visitors.

Head of New Plymouth CIB Detective Senior Sergeant Grant Coward said the cause of death was unknown but it appeared the woman was stabbed in a nasty and vicious attack.

It was not known if she had been sexually assaulted.

Mr Coward said: "We are most interested in sightings of her on SH3, SH45 and in particular Lucy's Gully."

A team of about 30 police were investigating the death. A post mortem today was expected to reveal more about her death.

- NZPA, HERALD ONLINE STAFF