The missing 52-year-old's aluminium fishing boat found adrift in the Manukau Harbour with fishing gear still on board. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Searchers will today concentrate on the Manukau Harbour mudflats from the air as hopes fade of finding a missing fisherman alive.
The 52-year-old father has been lost in the water for two days after his upturned aluminium runabout was discovered on Wednesday. Miraculously, his 8-year-old daughter was plucked confused
and cold from the chilly harbour after Coastguard volunteers heard her calling in the darkness.
An extensive shore, sea and air search was mounted in the southern end of the harbour yesterday.
But this is being drastically scaled back and just the police Eagle helicopter will focus on the harbour at low tide today, due about midday.
Yesterday Watersafe said it was unlikely the fisherman would be found alive if he was not wearing a lifejacket.
