Orewa jewellery store owner foils robbery

Police are seeking any possible witnesses who were in the area at the time. Photo / File

An attempted robbery at a jewellers north of Auckland fell flat when the owner of the store managed to shunt the assailants out of his shop.

Two men attempted to rob Goldsmith Jewellers in Orewa on the Hibiscus Coast about 1.45pm yesterday.

They demanded money before the owner, who was on his own, pushed the men out of the store.

The men left empty-handed, while the owner had his shirt torn and suffered scratches for his efforts.

Police have established that the offenders ran from the store to a car in a nearby Countdown carpark.

From reviewing the CCTV footage it appears the car was parked in this location at approximately 9.30am that morning.

Police believe one of the men went into the shop next to Goldsmith Jewellers approximately five minutes before the incident, however they had both been in the area for some time.

The offenders are both described as Maori.

The first offender is believed to be in his early 20s, of large build and is approximately 183cm tall.

He was wearing a white T-shirt, blue shorts and jandals.He may have been wearing a cap.

The second offender is described as having a slim build and 160cm tall.

Police are seeking any possible witnesses who were in the Orewa shopping area and may have seen these men or noticed any suspicious behaviour in the area.

Police also request any shop owners in Orewa who may have recorded the suspects on their CCTV to contact them.