Police say teens stealing cars, robbing liquor stores and then taking them on a joyride is becoming a recurring theme.

Teens taunted police with a slow but lengthy chase in Auckland in the early hours of this morning.

It started on the North-Western Motorway about 12.30AM and ended some time later in East Tamaki.

LISTEN ABOVE: Northern Fire Communications Inspector Cornell Kluessien speaks to Alicia Burrow

Police say the teens are also responsible for a burglary at the Greenhithe Liquor Centre around midnight.

Northern Fire Communications Inspector Cornell Kluessien said they were throwing bottles at the police cars, and at one stage circled a park for 20 minutes at 40 kilometres an hour.

It's the fourth time in a month teenagers have burgled a liquor store, and then taken police on a joy ride through the suburbs.

Inspector Kluessien said the pattern of events has become "liquor shop 101" for officers.

Youth Advocate Lawyer Helen Bowen agrees. She said youths often pick up rocks, steal a car and then smash into a liquor store or petrol station.

Mrs Bowen said when you get a pack of young men in a car they egg each other on.

Her view is that they become risk takers and get caught up in the excitement of the moment - but later are extremely embarrassed and apologetic.

The Greenhithe Liquor Centre that was targeted is still cleaning up the mess. Manager Chris Utting said it was an annoying inconvenience on a typically busy Friday morning.

The first he knew of the burglary was when he arrived at the store this morning.

His windows and computer were shattered, the computer was on the ground, and there were racks of chips, cigarettes and bags of money scattered on the ground.

Mr Utting now can't sell anything because he has no till.

The stolen car was eventually blocked by police cars on Te Irirangi Drive, and the five teenagers aged 15-17 were arrested.