Target practice tree found near Urewera camp, court told

Surveillance footage was yesterday shown at the Urewera trial. Photo / Supplied

Police found a tree near an alleged military-style training camp that had been used for target practice, a court has been told.

The trial of the "Urewera Four''reached the end of its first week today and heard evidence from police officers who followed members of a group that the Crown says planned to murder, commit arson and using guns against police.

Tame Wairere Iti, Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara, Emily Felicity Bailey and Urs Signer are on trial in the High Court at Auckland, accused of belonging to a criminal organisation and possessing guns and molotov cocktails.

They have all pleaded not guilty.

The jurors, now down to 11 after one was excused to attend a funeral overseas, saw more covert police surveillance videos from an alleged camp in June, 2007.

The washed-out images of the Urewera bush near Ruatoki showed masked people walking through the bush. Some were carrying guns and all had their faces hidden by balaclavas and scarves.

The jury also heard recorded gunshots which the Crown says were fired at the same camp.

Evidence of how the police pieced together their investigation was also given.

Officers working undercover followed some of the accused from their homes in Auckland and Palmerston North as they drove to the Ruatoki area.

Detective Adam Eltham told the court how in April 2007, he followed Kemara - the man the Crown says was the group's armourer.

Kemara was tailed in his car as he drove from his Grey Lynn home to the Gun Shed in Mt Eden.

"Mr Eltham followed him into the shop. ``He was viewing a number of firearms - shotguns and rifles.''

Kemara's next stop was the Kiwi Disposal's shop on Karangahape Rd where he emerged with a package before picking up a man and woman and driving to Taneatua in the Bay of Plenty.

A police officer and member of the Special Tactics Group told the court how he visited an old wharenui and wharekai near Ruatoki, where a training camp took place.

The officer, who has name suppression, planted cameras in the bush and returned just over a week later.

"I noticed signs people had visited since we were last there.''

He said food was found in wharekai, underneath an upturned concrete sink. Police also found a number of spent cartridges in the area.

"It appeared that a firearm had been used and the tree had been the target.''

Under cross-examination from Bailey's lawyer, Val Nisbet, the officer confirmed that police had been told that the wharenui and wharekai were in the area.

He confirmed that police were also in the area to see if they could find a spot to watch the huts from but they could not.

Next week the jurors are expected to hear from two teenagers who attended one of the training camps.

In his opening address on Tuesday, Crown prosecutor Ross Burns said the teens were blindfolded, put on the ground and had guns pointed at them.