Ōhakune manhunt ends in dramatic Raetihi stakeout

The sleepy village of Raetihi was the scene of a police stakeout to catch a man on the run from Ōhakune. Photo / File

A two-day hunt for a man who allegedly pointed a gun at police in Ōhakune has ended in a dramatic stakeout at a central North Island house.

Police said the man, 33, and a woman, 29, were arrested at a Raetihi property around 9.40pm on Monday "without incident".

The pair are expected to appear in the Whanganui District Court on Tuesday facing a number of charges.

Raetihi residents posted on Facebook about a "stakeout" of a house in the town "with half of Raetihi".

One resident, Vicky Kingi, watched the stakeout on a Facebook live feed uploaded by her cousin.

"I don't know of the two people who walked out of the house," she said via Facebook Messenger. "One guy, one lady and a baby. Not sure if the baby was home though. Some said yes. Some said no."

The manhunt followed an incident in Ōhakune on Saturday where a man, who had been stopped at an alcohol-testing checkpoint, pointed a gun at police and drove away with a woman in a police car.

Police said a scene guard would remain in place at the property while inquiries continued.

"This has been an intensive investigation involving police staff from a number of districts around the country working together to achieve tonight's good result."

Police said they also wanted to thank the community for their assistance and patience while the search for the wanted man was under way.