KEY POINTS:
A West Auckland strawberry seller on her first day at work has been robbed at gunpoint and forced into hiding.
Police said that at 11am on Sunday the woman was selling strawberries at Swanson Reserve in Waitakere when she was threatened by a man in his 40s and a woman in her 20s.
They demanded cash, jewellery and her cellphone while holding her at gunpoint.
Police want to speak to anybody who may have bought strawberries from the woman while the armed robbers sat in her car.
Detective Constable Nicki Robinson said: "When two customers arrived separately at the scene to purchase some strawberries, the victim got out of her car to attend to them.
"It's unlikely that either of these customers were aware of the victim's ongoing ordeal."
The victim's father said she had considered telling the customers to contact police but was frozen by fear, and scared of being overheard.
A firearm was clearly visible to the victim but she was unable to describe it.
The woman returned to her car and the two offenders quickly left in an unidentified silver-coloured vehicle.
The ordeal is not over for her yet. She has moved out of her home because the robbers threatened to track her down.
Her father said: "They told her they know where she lives. She has a 3-year-old boy, and just cannot stay at home.
She was just getting back on track, and this is a big setback."
