Search for Whangārei man missing in Pipiwai bush stretches into sixth day

The search for Whangārei man Kukama Waa, 58, missing in Pipiwai continues into its second week. Photo / Supplied

The family of a Whangārei man missing for six days shrugged off Tuesday's scorching temperatures to scour an area of dense bush in search of their loved one.

Kukama Waa, 58, who is hearing impaired and also has physical and mental impairments, was last seen in an area of bush near Pipiwai on the morning of January 5.

Senior Sergeant Cliff Metcalfe, the head of Northland Police Search and Rescue, said Waa had been staying with family in Pipiwai, around 40kms northwest of Whangārei, for Christmas at the time he went missing.

"There have been no sightings of him at all. We believe he is still in the Pipiwai area and we're continuing to concentrate on the bush area."

1News reported Waa's brother-in-law, Tepene, had said Waa and a cousin were near Pipiwai to maintain the main water supply to the marae.

He said the cousin had asked Waa to wait at a certain place as it was rugged. However, when Waa's cousin went to get him he had "moved".

The only discovery so far had been a hearing aid belonging to Waa.

Metcalfe said a review and peer review of the search operation was carried out on Tuesday with the help of visiting specialists from Auckland.

Search teams were then deployed to bolster the efforts of Waa's family as they combed through dense bush in Pipiwai near where the search had previously scoured.

The family, joined by members of the public, meet on Henare Rd at 8am to begin a full day of traipsing through the vegetation with hopes of finding Waa.

They expressed their gratitude on a Facebook post to all the people who had so far given their time to help find their much-loved whānau member.

Metcalfe said efforts would continue into Wednesday as foot searches were carried out in the area.

An "extensive area" of the bush had been covered by the police Eagle helicopter and drones in a bid to pinpoint Waa's locations or uncover any clues as to his whereabouts.

Police describe Waa as Māori, approximately 5 foot 8 (172cm), of large build, bald and he recently lost one of his arms.

He was last seen wearing blue-coloured tracksuit pants and a red shirt.

Metcalfe said police continued to welcome any information about Waa's whereabouts or potential sightings and urged to contact police immediately on 111, and quote event number P049210284.