The search has resumed for a boogie boarder missing in the Far North since yesterday afternoon.
Police say the 21-year-old Kerikeri man, whose name has not been released, was boogie boarding on the Kerikeri River with his 19-year-old friend when he became caught in an eddy near the Wharapoke waterfall.
The pair had successfully negotiated the waterfall, upstream of the historic Kerikeri stone store.
Northland rural police controller Inspector Paul Carpenter said the pair got over the falls safely, but the older man got into trouble in a section of river where there was a lot of debris and swirling eddies.
The man's mate made a futile search before heading for the shore and raising the alarm about 5.40pm.
"At that stage, the river was extremely swollen," Mr Carpenter said.
"There was a great force of water. There was considerable debris coming over in that particular area ... it's known for it."
Mr Carpenter said searchers scoured the muddy water and river banks for the man yesterday afternoon and through the night, in the hope that he may have made it to shore. He was not believed to have suffered from any medical condition.
The missing man's boogie board was recovered yesterday. Mr Carpenter said the man had been wearing a wetsuit but was not believed to have been wearing flippers.
The river conditions had been too dangerous to send divers in, he said.
Volunteers, including members of local search and rescue groups, the Kerikeri Coastguard and the Department of Conservation, were out again at first light today.
An air search was also to be conducted.
Early today there had still been hope the man may have made it safely to shore and could have been lying injured somewhere along the river's banks.
However, at 10.30am Mr Carpenter said there was still no sign of the man.
However, there was no plan to scale the search down.
The river had dropped to almost normal levels, Mr Carpenter said.
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE
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