Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(N.Z.) a tourist.

1975		Press (Christchurch) 28 July 30: (Griffiths Collection) A television news item about the visit to Stewart Island by the Prime Minister (Mr Rowling) referred to the islanders’ word for tourists, ‘loopys.’ An islander has told the ‘Southland Times’ that the word originated in another corner of Southland, Milford Sound, about 1970. ‘The name was coined by hotel staff who appeared to have a great contempt for “loopys”,’ said the islander. ‘It refers to the peculiar looping motion of the hand while swatting sandflies and to the ‘loopy’ questions they ask.’ [DNZE].
1988		McGill Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 70/2: loopies tourists; dismissive term by locals, possibly because tourists do a quick loop and off.
1993		Sun. Times (Wellington) 18 Apr. 7: Stewart Islanders don’t particularly like tourists. They call them loopies [DNZE].
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. [as cit. 1988].