Students held as police hunt burglar

Students at a North Shore high school during end-of-year exams were held inside their classrooms during the lunch break as police, a sniffer dog and a helicopter searched for a burglar who was still on the run last night.

The two-hour chase had to be twice called off as the man rode his motorbike at high speeds across North Shore roads without a helmet.

The burglar was spotted just after 10am stealing from a house on Coronation Rd in Hillcrest and soon after, another house on Chivalry Rd.

Detective Sergeant Craig McCormack of the North Shore CIB said police chased the man along the nearby Archers Rd but lost him through McFetridge Park as their vehicles were unable to follow his red Suzuki bike through the reserve.

The man was not wearing a helmet and it was understood he had discarded it at one of the houses he'd burgled.

He was seen coming out the other side of the park on Velma Rd and later on Lake Rd in Takapuna, about 5km away.

The man abandoned his motorcycle on nearby Creamer Ave and escaped on foot. The bike is believed to belong to a member of the man's family.

He was then on Winscombe Ave near Takapuna Grammar School just before its lunch break.

"The police advised, as a precautionary measure, that all students were to remain indoors," principal Simon Lamb said.

"The students were kept indoors safely until approval was given by the police for us to release them for lunch."

A foot search of the school and surrounding areas with a sniffer dog failed to find the man and he was later seen by a cleaner in public toilets at the bottom of Clifton Rd near Takapuna Beach.

The last sighting of him was on the beachfront about 12.30pm.

The man is described as tall, aged between 25 and 30, olive- or dark-skinned and was wearing dark-coloured motorcycle clothing.

Mr McCormack said police believe they know who he is but yesterday urged anyone with information to come forward.