Police have spent the day scouring parts of the Hutt Valley, north of Wellington, looking for a man wanted in connection to firearms offences.
Earlier this week, police released a description of Matthew Kidman, who is on bail for firearms charges, following an incident in the suburb of Naenae on Tuesday.
The police say Mr Kidman could be dangerous, and they are urging locals to call 111 if they see anything suspicious.
Inspector Mike Hill says the police have been searching an area of the Blue Mountains behind the Upper Hutt suburb of Pinehaven.
He says the police now believe Mr Kidman is being helped to stay hidden, and they have been visiting the addresses of his known associates.
During Thursday, the police were stopping and searching cars at checkpoints around Upper Hutt, but would not say how many checkpoints there were.
Earlier, they swooped on a golf driving range in the Upper Hutt suburb of Silverstream after a customer saw a man fitting Kidman's description on a quad bike.
