About 30 minutes later officers put cordons in place in Charles St and prevented traffic from going in and out.
The armed offenders squad arrived at the scene at 5.45pm with a police dog and handler arriving shortly after and accessing the scene through Eden Terrace, a street overlooking Charles St.
The police negotiating team were seen communicating with a man in a house on Charles St using a loudhailer.
The cordons were lifted at 9.30pm as police were unable to locate the offender in the area.
If you have any information that could help police enquiries, please contact Northland Police on 09 430 4500 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.