Police at the location of one of the campsites just off the Te Anga Road near Waitomo.
Photo: Dean Purcell/New Zealand Herald via Getty Images
A dedicated police team is examining items from the campsites used by Tom Phillips and his children over their four years on the run.
Cordons on Te Anga Road in the Waitomo region have been removed after Phillips was shot dead and a police officer crucially injured on Monday.
Waikato Acting District Commander Andrea McBeth said poor weather was forecast in the region over the weekend, but police had completed their examination of the camping areas believed to have been used by Phillips and his children.
She said the extra officers who had been brought in to help with the investigation would remain to provide reassurance for the community.
A dedicated team was examining items from the campsites, which McBeth said would be critical in determining who helped the family during their four years on the run.
Police have also issued a warning to avoid the area.
They said all material relevant to the investigation, including a quad bike and motorbike, had now been removed, and a pile of rubbish seen in some media footage of the scene was not linked to the investigation.
However, they said the land where Phillips had lived in hiding was on private property, and warned anyone entering the area without permission could face prosecution for trespass.
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