CRIME SCENE: The house in Ponga Rd, Opaheke, west of Papakura, where the bodies of Trevor Waite and Glenys Stanton were found.

CRIME SCENE: The house in Ponga Rd, Opaheke, west of Papakura, where the bodies of Trevor Waite and Glenys Stanton were found.

SHOOTING: Police at the scene of the death at the Woodhill Forest Mountain Bike Park.

SHOOTING: Police have cordoned off the carpark of the Woodhill Forest Mountain Bike Park.

SHOOTING: Police at the scene of the death at the Woodhill Forest Mountain Bike Park.

Family and friends this afternoon paid tribute to the man and woman mysteriously shot dead in a rural South Auckland property.

Trevor Waite, 51, and Glenys Stanton, 47, who were found dead at Waite's house, met through an outdoors enthusiasts' website, police confirmed today.

Detective Inspector Dave Lynch said it appeared they had known each other only a couple of months.

ALI NICHOLSON DOUBLE KILLING: Trevor Waite, 51, and Glenys Stanton (inset), 47.

The pair were discovered on a bed by Waite's teenage daughter, Kelsey, just after 11am on Sunday at a house in Ponga Rd, Opaheke, west of Papakura.

At a press conference this afternoon, Waite family spokesperson Ivan Gillatt pleaded for anyone with information about the homicide to come forward.

He described his friend, Waite, as a devoted father and said everyone who knew him had been "shocked and devastated" by the news.

Two of Waite's teenage children sat silently at the side of the room with their mother, Nicola Waite.

John Kenyon, Stanton's brother-in-law, said she was "beautiful inside and out ... and lived life to the full".

She had recently started work as a flight attendant and had been enjoying it, he said.

Stanton leaves behind two adult children and three grandchildren.

Lynch said the nature of the victims' relationship was still unclear. He did not yet know whether they had partners at the time.

Police said the pair shared an interest in hiking and mountainbiking and officers were trying to work out when they met.

Waite, who worked for insurance firm Vero for 15 years, was a member of the Drury United Football Club.

"We're in a state of shock and still coming to grips with what's happened," club president Martin Strange said.

"Trevor was a well liked and well respected member of the club.

"He was a dedicated member, played for the club's senior over-35s team and really enjoyed his football."

The community was rallying around Waite's family, including former wife Nicola, Kelsey and her younger siblings, Elliott and Claudia.

A pond on the property where the pair were killed is being drained today as police search for a firearm.

Police were interviewing friends, family and associates and said yesterday they believed whoever shot the pair knew them.

"A preliminary analysis of the scene indicates that there was a third person or persons involved," Lynch said.

He said he was confident it was not a "random crime".

Lynch said there was nothing to suggest it was a burglary turned violent, and there was no suggestion the victims were involved in any illegal activities. Neither was known to police.

Police wanted to hear from anyone who had seen people or vehicles in Ponga Rd or Coalmine Rd between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning, or anyone who knew either of the victims.

It is expected the scene examination will be completed by Friday.