Armed robbers chased 40kms

Two alleged armed robbers led police on a 40km high-speed chase after a raid on a Whangarei dairy before officers forced their ute off the road.
Pepe's Dairy owner Chagan Patel had not been robbed in the 15 years he had owned his Onerahi store, until yesterday when he was apparently threatened with a knife. The offenders allegedly stole cash and cigarettes, then fled in their getaway vehicle, reaching speeds of up to 130km/h.
Police say an 18-year-old man walked into Pepe's Dairy about 10am and demanded cash from Mr Patel.
The man ordered, "give me the cash, give me the cash, I've got a knife".
Mr Patel handed over money before the offender stepped behind the counter and took tobacco before leaving the store.
People saw him get into a yellow ute, in which another man was waiting, in the Onerahi Tavern carpark, before heading towards Whangarei.
Police chased the ute on State Highway 1 south to Mata, near Ruakaka, before it did a U-turn and was forced off the road north of Longview Winery.
Mr Patel didn't want to say how much cash was taken, and said he didn't see a knife or any other weapon.
"You don't think it will ever happen to you," he said.
He was shaken by the incident "but I feel no different than anyone else would". He was relaxing at home yesterday afternoon.
Mr Patel was full of praise for both the police response and the Onerahi public.
"It's a wonderful community here in Onerahi, I feel very looked after," Mr Patel said.
"It's different here to other places. I think it was members of the public who helped the police track them which was very good."
He was not planning on changing anything about the way he operated his business in light of the robbery.
Whangarei police Detective Sergeant Mike Blowers confirmed members of the public helped police identify the distinctive yellow ute the men got into, and a traffic patrol car saw it south of Whangarei.
The ute reached speeds of up to 130km/h. Road spikes were laid on State Highway 1 near Mata but, on seeing the police cars, the ute did a U-turn and headed back north, Mr Blowers said.
"Given the type of vehicle it was, police were confident they would not be outrun, so a decision was made to force the vehicle off the road," he said.
The ute was forced off the road on the ridge just north of Longview Winery, where the two men, both 18, were arrested.
They were to appear in Whangarei District Court today charged with aggravated robbery.
Mr Blowers said more charges, particularly driving offences, were likely.