Mystery of missing dad baffles community

At about 9.30am on Monday February 25 Siegfried Newman parked his car at his Lund Rd home and walked inside.
He placed his wallet and cellphone on the kitchen bench, put pre-prepared meals for that night's dinner in the fridge and six others in the freezer.
What happened next is a mystery.
The 48-year-old widower and father of two young sons was not in the house 40 minutes later when caregiver Carol Newcombe arrived.
Despite three days of official searching and weeks spent by friends combing the surrounding area, no trace of Mr Newman has been found.
His unexplained disappearance has left more questions than answers, especially for his two young sons, his family in Germany and New Zealand, friends and even those who didn't know him.
Psychics have been consulted, posters and fliers distributed but all have failed to find a trace of the missing man.
Police say two sightings of Mr Newman on Tuesday, February 26 at Pahoia School where his sons were pupils proved he was still alive and they have ruled out foul play in his disappearance.
They say two parents recognised Mr Newman looking into a classroom where children were watching a DVD, which pinpointed the day and time.
He made no contact with his sons who are now living with their mother's sister and her family in Wellington.
The parents came forward independently and their descriptions matched. They say they both saw Siegfried Newman.
Police are unable to explain how Mr Newman got to the school at least 10km away on State Highway 2 when his car was still at Lund Rd, nor how he would have got there and disappeared again without being seen by anyone else.
The file is still open and Mr Newman is officially considered a missing person.
Katikati Senior Constable John Fitzgerald said the sighting on February 26 appeared to rule out foul play.
He said there were two main scenarios: that Mr Newman had gone into the bush and "expired" or was still alive and not wanting to be found.
"But there is nothing to indicate that he is still alive," he said.
Mr Fitzgerald said the police had done a job that was "as thorough as we could do when obviously resources are limited".
"It's a huge area to search and we don't even know for sure he went into the bush. We have covered the most likely areas.
"It's a bit unusual," Mr Fitzgerald said.
"There's still some gaps and unexplained things and we're not going to be able to fill in those gaps until we find him or receive further information from members of the public."
Early in the search police had said it was possible Mr Newman was suicidal. He had spent time in Tauranga Hospital and was reported to be depressed.
However, those close to the man don't believe he would take his life or willingly stay away from his sons.
They believe he was not physically well enough to survive living rough. They are at a loss to explain his disappearance and want answers.
Peter Rae, who with his wife Caroline had known the Newmans since they moved to Katikati around five years ago, said he did not believe "Ziggey" could survive for long in the outdoors or that he would stay away for long.
"He enjoyed the bush but was what I call an urban tramper without the skills to rough it for long."
Trudy and Ross Hart were among the first to begin searching for Mr Newman on the day he disappeared.
For several months Mrs Hart, a naturopath, had been helping to care for Mr Newman who she said was in poor health due to the stress of his wife Vicki's illness and death and the side effects of some prescription medication.
However, she did not believe he was suicidal nor would have left his sons.
Another who is seeking answers about Mr Newman's disappearance is Andy Goodall of Whakamarama.
"I knew him through chats on the sideline at soccer matches for the team his son was in and felt I had to do something," said Mr Goodall.
He set aside two to three days a week for most of March and April to systematically search areas of the Kaimai Range and farms and orchards around the Newman home.
Experienced in search and rescue, including time in Antarctica, Mr Goodall used a GPS to record everywhere he searched and even took his dog in the hope she might find something.
Mr Goodall and other concerned friends and acquaintances also printed posters featuring a photo of Mr Newman, which were distributed around Katikati and Tauranga.
Desperate for answers, Mr Goodall emailed psychic Kelvin Cruickshank of the TV programme Sensing Murder asking for help.
Mr Cruickshank replied: "Can't say either way but inside ... such as shed, tramping hut, half demolished house, abandoned house or farm shed. I just get shed. Hope this helps and he can return home for his boys."
Later in March, when Mr Newman's sisters Brigitte Fulling and Sabine Vorgerd arrived from Germany, Mr Goodall arranged for them to meet a local psychic.