Mugged on way home

A 20-year-old Cromwell man was mugged while walking home from a hotel early yesterday.

He was attacked by four or five men who demanded money and punched him in the head several times, Detective Gary Hyndman said.

The man was robbed of $20.

Although the victim of the assault was injured, he had declined any medical treatment, Det Hyndman said.

"We're following some positive lines of inquiry and are hopeful of an early arrest on this matter," he said.

• An American tourist on a cycling tour of New Zealand was knocked off his bike between Cromwell and Bannockburn yesterday, when the left wing mirror of a passing vehicle hit him.

Senior Constable John Chambers said the man was cycling on the road, travelling south.

The Texan tourist was bruised and received grazes and was treated at the scene by an ambulance officer.

"Ironically, he's in a group of cyclists who have travelled all around the world and they'd found New Zealand the best place to cycle."

The accident had not been reported to the police as the cyclists believed it was a minor issue.

The car driver was a woman in her 80s.