"It was bang, bang, bang, bang, bang."

That is how a concerned resident of Mourea, Lake Rotoiti, describes the loud gunshots he heard shortly before 2am on Sunday.

It was later reported a woman had been shot and was in critical condition.

The Mourea resident spoke to the Rotorua Daily Post on the condition he and his wife were not named, out of caution for their safety given the circumstances of the shooting were not yet known.

Gunshots were heard by Mourea residents early on Sunday morning. Photo / Andrew Warner

He said police had also interviewed them and asked what they heard.

He said the couple were aware a wallaby cull was coming up, but knew that was not the cause of the gunshots.

"There were only five shots," he said.

The loud noises echoed.

"It's unnerving, shots in the middle of the night like that."

A police cordon was put in place around The Happy Angler Store and Takeaways on State Highway 33 in Mourea on Sunday morning.

Outside the building was a grey four-door ute with its doors open and a back window that appeared to be smashed.

Detective Senior Sergeant Ryan Yardley said on Sunday police were called about 1.55am and found a woman with a serious gunshot wound.

A St John spokesperson said they took the critically injured woman to Rotorua Hospital.

Te Whatu Ora Lakes said the woman was transferred to Waikato Hospital on Tuesday.

A Te Whatu Ora Waikato spokesperson said yesterday she remained in a critical condition.

Police said on Sunday no one has been arrested. They have been approached for an update.