Maritha O'Halloran and her daughter, Isabelle, were confronted by a masturbator on a bush walk near Claudelands Events Centre.

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Maritha O'Halloran​ was about to go on a short walk with her three-year-old daughter when a man appeared in the bush. He was masturbating.

Her daughter was wanting to go to the playground on Thursday afternoon, but O'Halloran thought a bush walk was better because of the wet weather.

PETER DRURY/FAIRFAX NZ A path winds through Jubilee Park where the man was seen.

O'Halloran had parked on Boundary Road and the pair were on their way to the Jubilee Bush walk when O'Halloran stopped to button up her daughter's rain jacket.

When she turned around, there was a man, about a metre away, with his pants down to his knees.

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"He was masturbating. He was looking at us, like, Ohh, look at me."

The pair continued walking along the footpath as O'Halloran attempted to shield her daughter.

"I looked back and I said, 'You're sick.' He got really aroused by that. He followed us, doing his thing."

She was shaking as she called the police. When she tried to take a photo of him, he ran away.

"It was just so seedy. It's not like he was just a funny man in the bush feeling aroused, there was something a bit more sinister about it.

"I just felt very vulnerable having my little girl there."

She said there were quite a few people around because the Waikato Home & Garden Show was on at Claudelands Arena.

The Maori man was wearing a navy jumper without zips. He had wavy hair about 10-20cm long and was between 20 and 30 years old.

He was clean shaven and "quite podgy, but not overweight".

He had a strange run, but it may have been because his pants weren't done up properly, she said.

Waikato police Senior Sergeant Robbie Hermann said police are still looking for the man.

"Any time anyone sees anything like this, we want them to contact us.

"Anybody who sees similar acts, contact us immediately."