Irish tourists have been filmed leaving beer bottles and piles of rubbish on a busy beach, before a child threatened to ‘knock the brains out’ of locals who confronted them.
The incident, which unfolded at Auckland’s Takapuna Beach on New Zealand’s North Island on Sunday, was captured on camera by Krista Curnow.
She said the group of about 12 tourists, who spoke with an Irish accent, turned violent when she asked them to clean their mess as they left the beach.
‘Their response was basically if we have a problem then we can pick it up and that that’s what the council is for,’ Ms Curnow said.
A group of Irish tourists have been filmed leaving beer bottles and piles of rubbish on a busy beach
Witness Krista Curnow said the group of about 12 tourists, who spoke with an Irish accent, turned violent when she asked them to clean their mess as they left the beach
‘I approached the family to ask again if they could not disrespect our country while visiting and pick up their rubbish.
‘They turned violent and even grandma and the child got involved saying they wanted to punch my head in.’
Footage showed a young boy, wearing a wide-brimmed Bunnings Warehouse hat, approach Ms Curnow, telling her: ‘I’ll knock your brains out’.
‘The mouth on that young boy – absolutely disgusting! What kind of role models are the parents allowing this sort of behaviour,’ Ms Curnow said.
‘Their response was basically if we have a problem then we can pick it up and that that’s what the council is for,’ Ms Curnow said
Footage showed a young boy, wearing a wide-brimmed Bunnings Warehouse hat, approach Ms Curnow, telling her: ‘I’ll knock your brains out’
‘We live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, how dare people come to NZ and disrespect our country, this is our home.’
The Irish family later ordered food at a nearby Nandos store, before demanding a refund, The New Zealand Herald reported.
Another local claimed they confronted the family at a Bunnings Warehouse after seeing the video online.
‘We just came across him in Bunnings Hillsborough… he was wearing the same clothes,’ the woman wrote on Facebook.
The Irish family reportedly later ordered food at a nearby Nandos store, before demanding a refund
Pictured: Rubbish left behind by a group of tourists at a popular beach in Auckland
‘He’s absolutely sh***ing himself after getting a bit of a talking to from my partner about respecting our country.’
Footage of the incident has since gone viral and has garnered thousands of comments.
‘My big fat gypsy holiday! Imagine having to sit next to them on a 12-hour flight. Horrendous! Glad you said something,’ one wrote.
‘What did I just watch? That little boy thought he was so tough,’ another noted.
One of the members of the group was seen ushering the child away as he threatened Ms Curnow
The incident unfolded at Auckland’s Takapuna Beach on New Zealand’s North Island on Sunday
A third said: ‘Being Irish, this embarrasses me so much. It’s people like this that made me leave Ireland. Absolute disgrace.’
Ms Curnow said she and her friends cleaned up the tourists’ mess, with the help of other beachgoers.
‘I loved how everyone else on the beach came to support and we all picked up the rubbish together! Love NZ,’ she said.
Inspector Kevin McNaughton, Acting Area Commander of Waitemata East Police, told Daily Mail Australia the incident was being investigated.
Ms Curnow said she and her friends cleaned up the tourists’ mess with the help of other beachgoers
‘Police will be speaking with those involved and will be referring them to Auckland Council with regard to their behaviour around the littering of rubbish,’ he said.
‘Police would like to remind the public that offenders caught illegally dumping rubbish may be issued with a fine of up to $400.
‘Serious offenders may also be prosecuted under the Litter Act 1979 with a maximum penalty of $30,000.
‘We pride ourselves in our clean, green image as a country and thank the members of the public who reported this behaviour on this occasion.’