Search and rescue teams will be on the lookout today for a missing man who was due back on Friday evening, but failed to return. Photo / Peter Plaistowe
Search and rescue teams will be on the lookout today for a missing man who was due back on Friday evening, but failed to return. Photo / Peter Plaistowe
Family hoping for the return of a missing man off the coast of Whangārei are facing their fifth day of waiting.
A search was launched about 9pm on Friday after the man and an 11-year-old family member failed to return from a fishing trip.
The boy’s body wasfound in the water at Parauwanui Beach in Patāua North by a member of the public on a jetski on Saturday.
The missing boat was located on Saturday after confirmation from Northland Coastguard Air Patrol. Photo / Northland Coastguard Air Patrol
The Police Dive Squad, Coastguard volunteers and the Northland Coastguard Air Patrol spent the weekend searching.
More than 45 Coastguard volunteers had been involved in the search since Friday night.
They were from Coastguard Whangārei, Coastguard Tutukākā, Northland Coastguard Air Patrol, and Auckland Coastguard Air Patrol, as well as National Operations Centre staff and volunteers.
The water-based Coastguard vessel pictured reaching the empty boat. Photo / Northland Coastguard Air Patrol
As of Monday, the total volunteer hours for the search had exceeded 190 hours, a spokesman said.
Conditions on Friday night and Saturday had been favourable, with calm seas and light winds, they said.
Decisions on where and when to search were led by police or the Rescue Co-ordination Centre NZ.
The Coastguard spokesman said information such as the last known position, drift modelling, and environmental factors including wind and tide were used when deciding on a search area.
“Coastguard’s National Operations Centre staff and local volunteers provide input based on local expertise and weather conditions, drawing on knowledge of tides, currents, and geography.”
On Monday, police announced their large-scale efforts had been bolstered with the involvement of the Royal New Zealand Navy.
Detective Sergeant Paul Overton said earlier the crews were focused on bringing the missing man home to his whānau.
Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.
