A Taupo teenager has been jailed for more than five years for stabbing two tourists in the street in a drunken rage while on bail for a previous violent offence.

Jason Jordan McKenzie, 18, appeared in Rotorua District Court this morning after pleading guilty to two charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and one charge of assault in June, and one charge of aggravated robbery, and of manufacturing cannabis oil, in May.

At the time of the stabbings McKenzie was on bail for aggravated robbery after threatening his flatmate with a knife to hand over $160 from the flatmates account at an ATM machine.

In June while on bail for the previous offending McKenzie became angry after drinking alcohol at his Taupo flat and grabbed a 25-centimetre-long kitchen knife, the court heard.

He walked  into the township and threatened a staff member at a local chartered club with the knife.

A short time later McKenzie , in separate incidents five minutes apart, stabbed two tourists walking down the street.

One victim received a two centimetre chest wound and the other victim was hospitalised with a six centimetre stomach wound.

One of the victims had lived in Britain for 20 years and had returned to New Zealand to settle.

McKenzie aggressiveness after the attack "haunted" the victim, the court heard.

In sentencing Judge James Weir described the "potentially lethal" attacks as not what people would expect to happen in a tourist town in New Zealand but more likely during a typical day in a large city overseas.

"The violent offending against tourists inevitably causes great harm to New Zealand's reputation as a safe place to visit," Judge Weir said.

McKenzie had smoked cannabis and drunk alcohol on a daily basis since he was 10-years-old, and was at a high risk of re-offending, according to a pre-sentence psychiatric report, Judge Weir said.

McKenzie was jailed for five years and eight months on all charges with a recommendation he be placed in a custodial facility which had an alcohol and drug treatment programme.

- © Fairfax NZ News