KEY POINTS:
Police say two escaped convicts from Waikeria prison should not be approached as they are highly dangerous and possibly armed.
The teenagers were being held in the youth unit of the prison - which includes razor fencing around its perimeter - when they made their bid for freedom about 7am yesterday.
Waikato police spokesman Tony Sasso said David John Body, 18, and Samuel Peter Badawi, 17, had not made their decision on the spur of the moment.
"It wasn't like a bolt across fields, it appeared to have a level of planning to it."
Mr Sasso did not know how the pair escaped but police suspected the escapers were responsible for a theft at a nearby farm soon afterwards.
Two firearms - a .22 rifle and a double-barrelled side-by-side shotgun - and clothing, a chequebook and a vehicle were taken.
The stolen vehicle was described as a black 2007 Nissan Tiida hatchback, registration DWS913.
Later in the day, Mr Sasso said, the stolen chequebook was found in Te Kuiti.
The youths had been imprisoned in Waikeria for a "whole range of offences" and were known to have contacts throughout the central North Island, Mr Sasso said.
Any sightings of the vehicle or of the men should be reported to local police or on the emergency 111 number.
