Teens as drunk ‘as newts’ at party in Airbnb property

Teens at a boozy Airbnb party in Dunedin were so drunk some could not even stand when police arrived.

A neighbour told Stuff he was visited on Saturday afternoon by several young boys who had booked the Airbnb property down a shared driveway.

‘‘They said they were having a few drinks with an older brother who had booked the place.’’

The man, who did not want to be named, said the six boys ‘‘looked between 12 and 14 . . . that is no exaggeration’’. ‘‘I would say only one looked like they had gone through puberty.’’

The group of boys, who were later joined by dozens of teens, returned to the property before 7pm.

‘‘By 8pm they were p..... as newts,’’ the neighbour said.

‘‘They were all over the shop . . . it was just crazy.’’

The teens had sourced RTDs, and were joined by a couple of older teens who ‘‘later bolted’’.

The man contacted homeowner Jeremy Craw, warning that an out-of-control party was under way at his Airbnb property. Craw then called police.

A teen ‘‘who looked like he was 14’’ tried to hide a large bottle of vodka from police, ‘‘but he couldn’t stand up’’.

Police then confiscated the remaining boxes of booze from the party – ‘‘they had to do a few trips’’ to fill their car.

Craw said a 14-year-old booked the property through Airbnb using his own name, his own phone number, and a credit card.

Airbnb guests are meant to be aged at least 18 to open an account.

In a statement, Airbnb said it had permanently banned the 14-year-old from its platform.