Tourist family’s bad behavior has New Zealand rethinking its welcome mat

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — They dumped chips on someone’s beach blanket. They reportedly stole a Christmas tree from a gas station. They were eventually issued deportation notices after police were called to a disturbance at a Burger King.

An English family touring New Zealand — about 12 people, including children — was so unruly that social media posts documenting their bad behavior were picked up by national news outlets, which sent out alerts about the family’s location and latest reported antics, including refusing to pick up garbage left on the beach and throwing food on the floor at a cafe.

Maybe it was just a slow news week.