On a patch of grass near the rocks, Jack's name is picked out with shells and bordered by bunches of flowers. Photo / John Borren
On a patch of grass near the rocks, Jack's name is picked out with shells and bordered by bunches of flowers. Photo / John Borren
The spot where Jack Dixon was swept to sea has been marked with touching tributes to the missing 5-year-old.
The small area by Shelly Beach is lined with colourful ornamental pinwheels blowing in the wind and shells dangling from a tree on long pieces of string.
A tree growing outof a bank bordering the Mauao base track has created a natural shelf, which is now home to a pencil sketch of Jack wearing his All Blacks shirt. It is surrounded by shells painted red and blue - the colours of Jack's favourite hero Spiderman. A teddy bear sits with a bunch of red-and-blue flowers.
On a patch of grass near the rocks, Jack's name is picked out with shells and bordered by bunches of flowers.
Groups of people walking around the base track stop when they see the tributes. They pause to take it all in then turn and look out to the sea that has yet to return Jack to his family.
People have left tributes near where Jack Dixon was swept to sea. Photo / John Borren
Yesterday marked one week since the 5-year-old went missing and it was the calmest conditions searchers have had.
The team of six police divers spent all day scouring a considerable area of the water west of Shelly Beach out to about 200m, Western Bay of Plenty police acting area commander Inspector Karl Wright-St Clair said.
The team were to reassess conditions last night to determine their course of action today.
"The conditions were a lot better [yesterday]. We haven't been doing any land searches but, obviously, we still ask people who are walking around the Mount and over the rocks to keep an eye out for Jack.
"We don't want to give up hope of finding some trace of him," Mr Wright-St Clair said.
He spoke of the seven to 10-day window of opportunity for finding some trace of the boy. "We want to make the most of that."
The "overwhelming response" from the public to the teams involved with the search for Jack was remarkable. "It's been humbling for all involved."
The search for Jack Dixon
• Jack was swept to sea last Wednesday.
• Trying conditions with strong winds, big surf and king tides have hampered the search.
• Searches were scaled down from twice a day to once a day on Monday.
