Garlic naan and an abandoned pram: The curious case of the unruly travelling family

Tuesday, 15 January 2019

It all started with chips on a blanket, and following a week of destruction in Auckland, an unruly travelling family is being talked about around the world.

It began after an incident unfolded at Takapuna Beach on Sunday, which was captured on camera by local woman Krista Curnow.

In the video, members of the group could be seen walking away from beer boxes, bottles and baby wipes. In a second recording, a furious-sounding young boy threatened Curnow before an adult member of the group grabbed him.

The pram left behind after the group left Mr India in the Auckland suburb of Northcote after only paying part of their bill.

The video went viral, with The Independent and the Irish Post publishing stories on the incident.

**READ MORE:

Krista Curnow took videos of a large group of Irish people at Takapuna Beach who left the place strewn with rubbish on January 13, 2019.

* Mob with kids leave rubbish, get aggressive at Auckland beach

* Travelling family throws food on ground, demands refund from cafe

The pram had a purpose before it was discarded in Northcote.

* 'Rude' Travelling family cause police call out to Hamilton Burger King**

Curnow said the incident had unfolded after one of the group had 'deliberately poured chips onto our blanket' earlier in the day.

The group racked up a bill of almost $280 at Mr India, but only paid $60 of it.

As reports of further misbehaviour came flooding in, it was time to head to the North Shore and find out what was behind the alleged unruliness.

The last known kerfuffle on the Shore was at Mr India, a family restaurant sandwiched between Northcote Kebabs and Backyard Bar on the North Shore.

These towels were not needed for the next chapter of the group's journey through New Zealand.

Havinder Kaur was in early to clean the restaurant on Tuesday and knew why there was a knock at the door before a question was asked.

'Come in, we've been expecting someone,' she said.

Police speak to the family after an incident at the Te Rapa Burger King.

Kaur served the group of 14 on Sunday evening. She said they claimed to come from England and were interested in a good curry.

They ordered beers and soft drinks and said they would divide the bill into three.

The group clearly liked it spicy; hot vindaloo, butter chicken and garlic naan were the popular dishes.

By 9pm the group had racked up a bill of almost $280.

With their bellies full, Kaur sought payment. But she said the group refused on the basis of a hair in the vindaloo.

When the restaurant asked about the rest of the bill, the group said the chicken wasn't sufficiently cooked and endangered a pregnant woman of the group.

Eventually one member forked over $60, but Mr India voided the rest of the bill.

By now the group had caught the attention of all the businesses in the area.

Staff at Northcote Kebab said they stopped the group from stealing soft drinks, and earlier they allegedly left Backyard Bar without paying part of their tab.

With the spotlight on, the group left in a hurry, leaving behind a pram, towels and a pair of shoes.

Kaur said despite the eventful meeting, Mr India staff had not complained to police, and were 'just happy to see the back of them'.

The group left Auckland on Monday and stayed at Le Grand Hotel in Hamilton, without incident, on Monday night.

But on Tuesday, their hunger – and the long arm of the law – caught up with them. Police and Immigration NZ officials were speaking to them on Tuesday afternoon after they were seen walking through a Burger King drive-through. They issued deportation documents shortly after.

But with 28 days to appeal that order, where will the family travel to next? One thing's for sure: if it's in New Zealand, we'll hear about it.