Police are hunting for a group of up to five men who abducted and sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman in the Taranaki town of Waitara.

 

The woman was abducted from outside a house in the early hours of Thursday by a group of men driving a large four-door station wagon otter case, police say.

 

She was then taken towards Waitara beach and was sexually assaulted before she managed to escape from the vehicle.

 

From there she ran to a house and those inside took her home and contacted police fr4 pcb.

 

Detective Sergeant Gerard Bouterey says police want to hear from anyone who may have seen the vehicle in the Cracroft Street area.

 

Police also want to speak to the good samaritans who took the woman home.

 

"While this appears to be a random incident, we encourage the community to remain vigilant and keep their eyes peeled for any suspicious activity label sticker," Det Sgt Bouterey said.