Theft taints family's NZ trip

PATRICK HAMILTON/Nelson Mail

BAD EXPERIENCE:The Mazataud family of France had their two laptops stolen recently from their temporary home in Stoke. From left are Emile, 6, Suzon, 9, Theo, 13, Corinne and Vincent.

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The Mazataud family came to Nelson from France wanting to experience the best of New Zealand, but will leave having been a victim of one of the worst aspects.

Last week the house the family are renting in Stoke was burgled. Their two laptop computers, which held thousands of family photos, a diary, travel contact details, tax returns and the three children's home schooling curriculum, were stolen.

Vincent and Corinne Mazataud and their children Theo, 13, Suzon, 9, and Emile, 6, have taken a year off from their home in Colmar, near the German border, to travel the world. Before coming to Nelson, they spent time in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.

"This could have happened anywhere in France, too, of course," Mrs Mazataud said. "We were very careful in Asia and nothing bad happened, but then it does when we are here."

Mr Mazataud said that before they embarked on their travels, he did a checklist of the safest places to visit and New Zealand came out tops.

"So when we arrived, we thought we could relax. New Zealand and Nelson is a really lovely place but with this problem, I now have a headache."

The burglar got into the house through an unsecured window and took a black Samsung laptop, a black Acer laptop and a CD writer.

Mr Mazataud said the Samsung was particularly identifiable because it had a French AZERTY keyboard instead of the English QWERTY one.

He said it was difficult to accept that many of the family's documents had been lost, including important work and countless family memories.

- © Fairfax NZ News