Nelson police are hunting a man suspected of raping a drunk 16-year-old girl at a local motor camp this week.
The girl was heavily drunk Tuesday night at the Maitai Valley Motor Camp, which attracts huge crowds of youths each year to see in the New Year, and her friends put her to bed in her tent, Detective Aaron Kennaway said.
About 10.30pm other campers noticed a man having sex with her between two tents and the girl telling him to stop.
When he did not they went to her aide and chased him off.
The young woman was injured and taken to hospital.
"The young woman is deeply distressed by this incident and police would like to speak to the man involved before it happens again," Mr Kennaway said.
The man was described as Caucasian, about 18 years old, 1.8m tall, with a dark mullet.
He was wearing cream coloured shorts and a black tee-shirt with a logo on the front.
It was not known if he had been staying at the camp.
NZPA