A man allegedly rammed a local pub, multiple vehicles and threatened to injure officers with a knife and spade during his bid to flee police overnight Tuesday. 

The dramatic chases - spanning about 40 kilometres - only ended after an officer shot at the culprit's tyres. 

The man spluttered to a stop after running out of petrol on Top Rd in Tahuna, according to locals, who awoke to the flashing lights of police on the rural back roads. 

Police found and arrested him stark naked, a local farmer told Stuff. 

The chaotic series of events began after police were called to a family harm incident in Morrinsville just after 1am.

A man had reportedly been drinking for hours and was threatening to drive, acting Waikato District Commander Inspector Andrew Mortimore said in a statement. 

When police arrived, the 55-year-old man rammed into the police car with his vehicle.

He then made an "implied threat" to injure officers with a spade and a knife before driving off towards Morrinsville, Mortimore said. 

In Morrinsville, the man rammed the gates of the police station, along with multiple police vehicles and other vehicles on the street. 

A number of vehicles shunted into properties, which were damaged, too, Mortimore said.

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Scene examinations were ongoing throughout Wednesday. 

Shortly after the station gates were ploughed through, police spotted the man at the Z service station in Morrinsville, where the man rammed another police car. 

"On Tahuna Road, the man rammed a police dog vehicle at speed."

The local pub down the road - Tahuna Tavern - appears to have been another victim of the rampage. 

Eventually, an officer managed to fire a gunshot at the man's tyre, before the fleeing man took off again. 

But with help from the Eagle helicopter, police tracked the man to Top Rd in Tahuna, where he was arrested at 3.20am. 

A nearby farmer, who didn't want to be named, said the roads were crawling with police cars before dawn. 

Locals were told he was arrested without a stitch of clothing. 

The Independent Police Conduct Authority has been notified, which is standard practice, Mortimore said. 

"It is very fortunate that no police staff or members of the community were hurt during this incident. 

"It is a reminder to our staff and to members of the public that any event police attend can quickly escalate." 

The man was expected to appear in Hamilton District Court on Wednesday, though charges are yet to be confirmed. 

In the early hours of Wednesday, a man on a tractor had been passing by when he saw the mass of glass and broken wood outside the of the Tahuna Tavern, Pearl Fennell said, who owns the tavern along with her husband Bruce.

"He sent out the alert and the old bongo drums got play throughout the neighbourhood," Fennell said.  "We got over there pretty quick and just about half the community were outside the pub. 

"They were trying to tidy the place up and I was saying no you can't touch a thing, you've got to wait for the cops to come. They just wanted to help and get the pub back into shape." 

But the area's only pub was back up and running by midday following the scene examination, despite the smashed front. 

"It's all fine. No-one got hurt so that's the main thing."