Young German couple beaten, robbed at New Zealand campsite

A young German couple visiting New Zealand were robbed by a group that beat them up early Thursday at a Whakatane campground, police said. The couple, a 19-year-old man and 18-year-old woman, were able to get away from their attackers and summon police, the New Zealand Herald reported. Officers who arrived a few minutes later found people ransacking the couple's tent. Four people have been arrested, and police were searching for a fifth suspect. Police said they had been deluged with calls from New Zealanders wanting to assist the couple. "This is an appalling and mindless attack on a young couple and incredibly sad that this will be their lasting memory of Christmas in our beautiful country,'' Area Commander Inspector Sandra Venables said. Whakatane is a sizable town in the Bay of Plenty region on the North Island. Copyright 2013 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.