Casey Pilgrim (20) and her friend, who wants to remain anonymous, say they were punched and kicked about 3am last Sunday in Centennial Ave while walking home from a night out.
Miss Pilgrim said she was terrified.
She was hit on the back of the head and then fell and hit a fence and blacked out for while.
"When I woke up, I saw my friend on the ground being kicked in the head and curled up in a little ball."
Her friend crawled over and lay on top of her to try to protect her from the violence.
"It's really scary when you are in a dark corner and you can't see and you've got eight people kicking and punching you in turns," she said.
"It really puts me off walking home at night. To jump someone for no reason.
"We didn't even know them and suddenly to see your friend having his face smashed into the concrete footpath - it was a very brutal attack," Miss Pilgrim said.
The pair went to the Emergency Medical Centre on Sunday morning and were sent to Dunstan Hospital for X-rays.
Senior Sergeant Mike Cook, of Alexandra, said police were treating the incident seriously.
"We have talked to both the victims and taken photos of their injuries, and now it's a matter for the investigation to take its course."
The file had gone to Dunedin where police believed the attackers came from.
