Four children aged between 12 and 14 are in custody after a lengthy police chase across west Auckland overnight.

A police spokesperson said that at about 3:50am police spotted a stolen vehicle on Te Atatu Rd which had been involved in at least three reported burglaries earlier in the evening.

Police followed the vehicle at a distance through the Waitakere area, out to Kumeu and then back into Waitakere.

The unit signalled for the vehicle to stop but backed off once the Eagle helicopter which took over tracking the wanted vehicle from the air.

The vehicle was spiked but continued driving, pursued by police before it was forced to stop on the Northwestern motorway at Waterview where a number of police cars had blocked the road.

A spokesperson said four youths, aged 12, 13 and 14 were now in custody and charges would follow. They would include include burglary and aggravated burglary and would appear in the Waitakere youth court.

Police were making enquiries into other possible offending, said the spokesperson.

No one was injured in the chase which is understood to have last nearly an hour.