Hitch Hiking in New Zealand

Another bashing of hitch hikers reported today in the New Zealand media.

What is it about Germans in particular that think this is a safe country for hitch hiking in? I am a New Zealand citizen, from Ireland originally and lived in New Zealand for a number of years before moving to Australia. Before hitch hiking in New Zealand please do a google search about the subject. It is a very dangerous place to be getting into cars with strangers.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11229185

Hitching in NZ was pretty good back in 1962. I met a lot of wonderful people, stayed with quite a few of them, drank embarrassing amounts of beer with many of them. Sometimes, as you tramped along with your Paddy Pallin H frame, people with otherwise full cars would stop and offer to take your pack the next town, and it was always there when you arived. Hitchhikers then walked when there was no ride in the offing and did not sit in the shade waiting for the next lift. Hitchhiking was an honorable means of transit and a wonderful way of meeting the locals.

The rot really started with Keith Holyoake, but I blame Piggy Muldoon for the ultimate collapse of a safe hitching environment.

groo is spot on. It used to be a great place to hitch-hike before all those dwarves and elves encouraged thrill-seekers.

The rot really started with Keith Holyoake, but I blame Piggy Muldoon for the ultimate collapse of a safe hitching environment.

Get real!!

Quite right!

It was Bill Rowling and David Lange that did the real damage!

When I hitch-hike (Anywhere), I always walk. Furthermore, I've never had a problem (Mind you: I am a rather large male). I've been picked up by the Black Power (Although I do have Maori ancestry you wouldn't know it by looking at me) without issue. Hitched last time I was back in NZ (From Waihi to Hamilton) and only had any trouble getting a lift when dropped on the straight just outside of Cambridge (Prick of a place to hitch out of is Cambridge).

Holyoake and Rowling, perhaps, neglected NZ.
Piggy Muldoon damaged the country badly.
David Lange (Well... Roger Douglas really) wounded it again.
Bolger, Palmer Shipley et al rubbed salt into its wounds and gave it a few more kicks for good measure.
Helen Clarke tried to heal it (But it was probably too far gone by then anyway).
John Key has killed it and is currently attempting to perform necrophilic acts on the body.

I would have thought anywhere has some risks getting into a car with strangers!

Even a place like Snooze Zealund.

Hitching went pear shaped after that cabal of cheese eating surrender monkeys waded ashore with their backpacks of Semtex, hitched a ride into town and scuttled the Rainbow Warrior.

Are these once-in-a-blue-moon occurrences or does this happen very often? Not that I would ever consider hitch hiking, just curious. Scary article.

Random occurences despite what some of the above imply.

Clearly kiwis are racist :-) Isn't that how these threads usually go but replace German backpacker with an other nationality and NZ with Australia. That said germans are renowned for swimming in croc infested water as well, despite signs being in english, german and japanese.