Taranaki man Ashley Hoeta was arrested and taken to the police station leaving his 11 year old daughter all by her self

New Plymouth police have apologised to a couple after their 11-year-old daughter was left stranded on the Coastal Walkway when her father was arrested.

On Monday afternoon Ashley Hoeta was going for a bike ride with his daughter, when he was stopped by a police officer for not wearing a helmet.

Police are cracking down on cyclists who are not wearing helmets.

The officer told Hoeta he would give him a 14-day ticket, which meant if Hoeta could prove he had a helmet he would be let off.

The two exchanged words, Hoeta said.

"I was a bit peeved. There were two people who had just passed me with no helmets and he stopped me."

He asked the officer if he had anything better to do, Hoeta said.

"I said: 'If you were in India you could arrest 8 people on one bicycle'."

Hoeta told the officer to write the ticket and he would check on his daughter, who was wearing a helmet, and had stopped a few metres away.

That's when the problems started, Hoeta said.

A police car arrived, with two officers and they said they were taking him to the station.

Hoeta was worried about his daughter, but they weren't interested, he said.

"I got taken away and she got left on walkway. I gave her my phone, said ring Mum."

In the car the officers asked why Hoeta hadn't just told their colleague his name and address.

"He hadn't asked," Hoeta said.

At the police station he was given a $55 fine for not wearing a helmet and let go.

He's not happy about the fine, because there are no signs and the walkway is not a road, Hoeta said.

"But I'm complaining they left my daughter there, not that I got a ticket."

Acting Taranaki Area Commander, Senior Sergeant Darin Haenga said police had investigated the incident.

"As a result, it was identified that a miscommunication had occurred between the officer, their colleagues, and the complainant. The officer who originally dealt with the incident has now apologised to the complainant's family."

An officer called Hoeta to apologise yesterday morning, but Hoeta said the officers needed to apologise to his wife, who was worried and had to leave work to collect the 11-year-old.

While the Taranaki Daily News was talking to Hoeta, a New Plymouth Senior Sergeant called him to tell him the officer involved had rung his Hoeta's wife to apologise.

Operation Skidlid started last week and police have been cycling the walkway stopping cyclist who are not wearing helmets.

One woman, who didn't want to be named, also received a $55 fine on Monday.

She didn't know she was supposed to wear a helmet on the walkway and she was riding home, which is a few metres from the path, when she got stopped, she said.