Reason for police raids on Northland properties still mystery

Police were still searching two properties on SH14, at Wheki Valley, south-west of Whangārei, yesterday, but are staying tight lipped on what they are looking for. Photo / John Stone

Two days into a major operation searching two properties near Whangārei police are keeping mum about what they are doing.

Up to 20 police officers, several of them armed, swooped on two properties on State Highway 14, in an area known as Wheki Valley, 21km southwest of Whangārei, on Monday morning.

One property had a half-round haybarn and containers on site and the other was a house at the end of a track just a few hundreds metres away on the state highway.

A police officer searches a property southwest of Whangārei. Photo / John Stone

Officers at the scene said they were unable to comment and, in a written statement, police were said they were carrying out multiple pre-planned search warrants in Northland as part of an ongoing operation.

"Police are not in a position to release any further information at this time for operational reasons. Further details will be released to media at a later stage," a spokesperson said on Monday.

It was clear though that officers intended to be there a while as portable toilets were moved in mid-Monday morning. Police also took their booze bus inside the gates were using it as a base as other officers scoured the hillside and vehicles parked in paddocks and closer to the yard.

One of the Wheki Valley properties being searched by police. Photo / John Stone

As part of the team a police sniffer dog and handler were at the scene and, at one stage, an officer with a shovel was seen looking in a paddock.

The police activity began early on Monday morning with locals in Hukerenui reporting helicopters and armed police on their rural road about 5am. The attention then turned to the Wheki Valley properties.

Yesterday a large number of police officers were still at the two properties, but police were again saying nothing about what was going on at the property, what they were looking for or even if any arrests had been made.

Police would also not say how long the operation was expected to last or if any other properties were involved.

In a statement yesterday police said: ''We are unable to comment further until the operation has been completed. Media can expect an update later in the week.''