Australian surfer shot dead in New Zealand

AUSTRALIAN SURFER SHOT DEAD IN NEW ZEALAND

* Sean McKinnon, 33, from Victoria's southwest coast

* Shot dead in a campervan near Raglan, a small town southwest of Auckland

* McKinnon was a surfer staying in New Zealand with his fiancee Bianca

* Waikato Police say he was the victim of a random attack

* A gunman fired shots into the vehicle, killing McKinnon

* Bianca escaped to raise the alarm, while the killer stole the campervan with McKinnon in it

* The van was dumped in Hamilton, 80km away from the crime scene

* Police are searching for the gunman

* "He was a lovable, knockabout Aussie guy, loved his surfing." - friend Julian Smith told AAP

* "It's a horrible thought to know he was alone when he died." - sister Emmeline McKinnon told News Corp

* Raglan is well-known for big-wave surfers

* Police believe the killer has told "members of his community" about the attack.