The drama began, police say, 600km away five days ago. It ended when the pair surrendered to armed police in a paddock north of Palmerston about 4pm after a two-hour stand-off.
The pair had been spotted in Oamaru and followed at a distance through Palmerston, towards Dunedin.
Police officers setting up road spikes, north of Flag Swamp, were allegedly fired at as the vehicle approached, about 2pm.
Southern District acting district commander Inspector Dave Campbell of Dunedin, said the man fired a shot at the two officers at the roadside.
He was not able to say how close the shot came to the officers.
"Pointing guns at police and reckless driving, it's not something you expect to happen in New Zealand," he said.
The woman, who was driving, turned the stolen Land Rover around and headed back towards Palmerston.
Shortly afterwards, the vehicle, which was towing a trailer packed with outdoor equipment, crashed through a wire fence in Horse Range Rd, flipping the trailer over.
Witnesses told the Otago Daily Times the pair left on foot, with the man carrying a baby on one hip and in his other hand holding the gun with which he threatened the following police officers.
The woman was carrying the other child, who was younger than 2.
Glen Porter was working on a fence about 100m north of the crash site. "I heard a crash and saw a cloud of dust. I went to call the police but they were right there.
"It was obvious they weren't going to do anything with the kids there and the gunman was pointing the shotgun at them every 50m."
The pair walked about 1km north along Horse Range Rd and crossed several paddocks, finding shelter at a water tank before they were surrounded by some of the 30 armed offenders squad members flown to the scene by helicopter.
Officers from Timaru and Dunedin attended the incident, Insp Campbell said.
The special tactics group was also deployed from Christchurch, but turned back after the pair were arrested.
The New Zealand Herald reported that it is understood the couple made no attempt to hide their identities as they carried out a spate of burglaries and used fraudulent cheques in the days beforehand.
Why they did it is unclear, but it is understood they owned a business that had been put into receivership.
They allegedly stole goods such as a television, a stereo, kitchenware, bed linen, a portable cot and children's toys.
"When they were here, I said they are almost like the Bonnie and Clyde, the way they're heading off, and it's sort of panned out ... the way it's ended down there," said Detective Constable Chris Payne of Picton.
The pair came to Picton from the North Island on a Cook Strait ferry on January 21. They headed to Christchurch and spent a few days there before their arrest for breaking into cars.
Released by the court last Thursday, they drove back to Picton and booked a ferry, apparently intending to return to the North Island.
Instead, they stayed a night at waterfront apartments in Picton, where they allegedly broke into a cupboard and got keys to open the owner's garage.
They left Picton and headed south on Friday in the owner's Land Rover with stolen property from the apartments.
It is understood they travelled to the South Island's West Coast, through Lewis Pass and arrived on Saturday at Hanmer Springs, where they stayed for two nights.
Cleaners later found the room cleared of a TV, stereo, cookware and bedding.
Constable Paul Lindsay, of Christchurch, said the couple bought about $2800 of goods in Hanmer, including camping items, and there was concern the cheques used may bounce.
It is alleged other burglaries occurred in centres such as Timaru and Ashburton as they headed towards Palmerston.
Insp Campbell said the pair had been wanted by police since the late-model Land Rover Discovery was stolen from Picton on Thursday night.
Police also alleged the vehicle was used in a burglary in Ashburton on Sunday, in which several firearms were stolen.
Insp Campbell said one weapon was recovered from the Palmerston scene and police were looking in the area for other weapons.
A discarded magazine clip was discovered at the scene, but police last night could not confirm where it came from.
No shots were fired by police during the incident.
During the stand-off, roads in and out of Palmerston were closed and residents told to stay indoors.
Pupils at the town's schools were told to lie on the floor and not to leave the school until the all clear was given by police.
The couple, who lived on the property where the pair eventually gave themselves up, said they decided to leave when they saw the man and woman walking across the paddocks towards their house.
"The police were telling us to get back inside, but we decided we did not want to be in the house with them."
The man carried a baby and the gun and the woman carried a toddler, they said.
The pair were dressed in shorts and T-shirts and walked calmly as police officers followed them at a distance.
Insp Campbell confirmed no-one was injured during the incident, although the woman and children were treated at the local medical centre for minor injuries from the crash.
The man and the woman were held in custody at the Oamaru police station last night.
The toddlers were taken into the care of Child, Youth and Family.
Senior Sergeant Craig Brown, of Dunedin, said the woman has been charged with failure to stop and the man with theft, and they would appear in the Oamaru District Court today.
