Man on trial for taking photos of bikini-clad girls at Kaiteriteri Beach

A man who took photos of bikini-clad girls at Kaiteriteri Beach without them knowing told police he had done the same thing "all over New Zealand".

Graham Thomas Rowe, 61, is on trial in the Nelson District Court charged with doing an indecent act with intent to insult.

Crown prosecutor Sefton Revell said an off-duty policeman, Sergeant Daniel Isherwood of Christchurch who was on holiday at Kaiteriteri Beach, saw Rowe crouching by a campervan taking photos on January 23 last year.

Revell said Rowe was using a zoom lens on his camera directed at three girls, believed to be aged 12 to 15, wearing bikinis.

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Rowe was about 30 metres away from the girls, who were posing for photographs for their parents, Isherwood said.

Isherwood watched Rowe from a distance before asking him what he was doing.

Rowe said he knew he was taking photographs without permission but saw nothing wrong with it as the girls were in a public place with no expectation of privacy.

He said he kept the photos on a notebook computer in a folder called "girls" which contained several images of pre-teen and teenage girls, Revell said.

Isherwood, who gave evidence in court, said the "girls" folder contained "dozens if not more" sub-folders, labelled blonde, Asian and more.

He said Rowe told him the photos were taken "from all around New Zealand".

Isherwood said he seized Rowe's camera and computer and called local police. Rowe was arrested and charged.

During cross-examination by defence lawyer Rob Ord, Isherwood said Rowe told him that the photos were for a travel book he was producing.

"That was the story that he was giving me."

Senior Constable Dave Colville, officer in charge of the case, said Rowe told him that some of the photos were for a South Island travel guide and "some for my enjoyment".

Colville said Rowe told him there was "nothing sinister" about the photos, some of which were of animals, beaches and other scenery.

Revell said the charge was "slightly unusual" and it was up to the jury to decide whether or not Rowe's actions were indecent and he intended to cause insult.

He said there was no legal definition of indecency. "It's just what the right-thinking public generally considers to be indecent."

Revell said the Crown's position was that Rowe knew what he was doing by taking the photos and it was "inappropriate, offensive and insulting" to the girls.

"He was more concerned about his enjoyment than their expectations of privacy or modesty as they spent their summer holidays at the beach."

Ord asked the jury to cast aside any pre-existing biases and focus on the law.

He said while the allegations may sound "a bit dodgy", the onus was on the Crown to prove Rowe's guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Rowe was previously trespassed from Kaiteriteri Beach for two years in 2012 for taking photos of girls without their permission.

The Crown's case closed on Thursday and Rowe was expected to give evidence on Friday.