A mystery couple who alarmed Auckland park-goers by appearing in masks has come forward to police.

Police had appealed for the couple to clarify their behaviour after reports of intimidating encounters with the masked figures carrying what looked like guns in the city's domain.

Detective Peter Mortimer said a man and a woman have been spoken to this afternoon, after approaching police themselves.

NZ Police MASKED MAN: This man has been seen with a female accomplice, wearing masks and carrying weapons in Auckland Domain.

It's believed the pair are behind a group called Twins of Atticus.

A photo posted on their Facebook page on Tuesday morning shows them wearing masks in front of the Mainline Steam Depot next to the old Parnell Railway Station.

Police spokeswoman Noreen Hegarty wrote in a Facebook post: "thanks to you all for sharing our story and helping to make sure they learn the errors of their ways".

Hegarty has earlier said the masked figures who could potentially be putting themselves and others in danger.

The pair had been seen in and around Auckland Domain in Parnell during the past few weeks.

Have you seen the masked couple? Email us at newstips@stuff.co.nz

A post on the Auckland police Facebook page said that when police were told of people carrying and displaying weapons in public, they responded with armed officers.

Police had no way of knowing whether a weapon was real until it had been seized.

"It appears these two people are carrying firearms of some sort which, aside from being incredibly scary for people who encounter them, is incredibly dangerous for the masked individuals themselves," she said

Police were not aware of anyone being physically harmed by the pair.

FILM HOAX?

A student film crew posted a video of the masked pair on their website after an intimidating encounter with the pair.

In their post the group said they were filming a short skit for film school at Parnell Railway Station when they saw two masked figures stand up from behind tall grass and shrubs.

The group gave police a report of the event, the post said.

The students said they were unsure whether the weapons were real but the male "cocked his pistol" as he approached the group.

Many commenters online have called the video a film school hoax but the manager of the students' film school insisted the students were genuinely alarmed.

"It's not a hoax," said Leyland Bottomley, campus manager for SAE Auckland, the film school the students attended.

Though he acknowledged it seemed convenient that film students should capture the masked people on camera, Bottomley said the campus backed on to the railways and students often filmed there.

"It's an interesting place and it's just outside the door."

"They were genuinely a little bit concerned about what was going on."

Bottomley said the students reported the incident to a staff member who referred it to the police.

One of the filmmakers, Chris Muir, said the group were filming their end of year project on Tuesday afternoon.

They were brainstorming ideas when they stumbled across the masked pair in the background, he said.

"It wasn't frightening, just a little unnerving at first," he said. "I'm sure it was some sort of scare prank but we don't know who they were."



Muir said after reviewing the footage, their tutor called the police and he and the other students all gave statements.

"We spoke to them briefly and then they turned up, armed. I left after they went to search the area."

Fellow student Jayden O'Neill said police helicopters were flying ahead.

"After filming them when we spotted them, we went back to class and discussed it. Shortly after there were cops on the way and a police chopper was circling the area. There were about three police cruisers. I gave my statement and everything."

O'Neill said "it was funny at first but they (the masked pair) wouldn't say anything and just stared. We were half entertained and half scared because we had no idea what they were doing."

Another woman was left feeling scared and intimidated after she encountered the masked people while walking in the Auckland Domain on Tuesday.

At about 5pm the woman was walking on Lower Domain Dr, heading towards Stanley St, when she noticed one person to her right. As she walked past that person, and another emerged from the left.

The woman ran away, phoned a friend and then reported the incident to police, Hegarty said.

It was an offence to be carrying a firearm in a public place as these people were but the bigger concern was public safety, she said.