By PAUL YANDALL
TURANGI - Two men have been arrested after seven armed robberies throughout the upper North Island over the weekend.
The robberies, between Auckland and Turangi, began in Hamilton around 12 am on Saturday.
Six petrol stations and one takeaway bar were robbed, all in the early hours of Saturday and Sunday, in Auckland, Hamilton, Rotorua, Taupo and Turangi.
Two men, aged 18 and 22, both of Auckland, were stopped by police just south of Turangi yesterday, after a robbery at a service station in the town.
Detective Tony Manunui of Taupo said they were arrested for the unlawful possession of a pistol. Police say more charges could be laid against the two.
A man wearing a mask entered the Turangi Shell service station at 6.15 am yesterday and demanded money from the attendant before heading south on the Desert Rd by car.
An hour earlier, the BP service station at Wairakei, north of Taupo, was robbed.
Another petrol station had been robbed in a similar manner around 4 am in Rotorua the same day.
Both of the arrested men were being interviewed at the Turangi police station last night about those robberies, as well as other similar attacks between Auckland and Hamilton.
Detective Manunui said both men were picked up on the Desert Rd without a struggle or chase after their car was stopped.
"There were no dramas," the detective said.
"We picked [the two men] up after being told they had headed south."
The weekend's armed robbery spate began early Saturday morning when two armed robbers wearing Hallowe'en masks held up two Waikato businesses.
About 12 am on Saturday two men held up Hamilton's Yummy Chinese takeaway in Claudelands with what looked like a black airgun.
A phone, car keys and cash were taken.
A Shell service station in Huntly, 32km north of Hamilton, was held up by two men in different masks with pistols two hours later.
Money was taken and an attendant was hit across the shoulder with a broken broom handle.
Police say similar hold-ups took place at petrol stations in Stanley St and Glenfield in Auckland, between 5 am and 5.30 am on Saturday.
Masked robbers on armed rampage
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