Earlier today on Focus Live, lost father and two daughters have been found.
A father and two daughters missing overnight after going for a hike at Days Bay near Wellington are "a bit tired and a little bit hungry" but relieved to be at home.
The family of three are out of the bush, and safe and well, police confirmed in a statement.
They were found uninjured at the Kowhai track at the southern end of the East Harbour Regional Park, police said. They left the park at almost 10.30am.
They will be checked by medical professionals.
Two children were seen in the back of two police cars that drove up the road to Lees Grove.
The search had resumed earlier today for the man and his teenage daughters, aged 14 and 11, after they went missing after setting off on a hike near Wellington on Tuesday.
They had left Wainuiomata for Days Bay via the East Harbour Regional Park track.
A search and rescue operation began last night and continued into the early hours of this morning.
"We had eight teams of three out searching the area overnight. The teams are currently in a debrief and will begin searching again this morning," police said earlier today.
Sergeant Hamish Knight said the dad and daughters were relieved to be back home.
"They were understandably a bit cold and a bit tired and a little bit hungry but they were definitely glad to be back with their wife and mum."
Knight said the tracks at the park are quite well-maintained and signposted - but there are also lots of trapping and bait lines.
"We believe they've taken one of these bait lines and gone into Gollans Stream."
He said there was no cellphone coverage in the stream area.
He gave thanks to the Land Search and Rescue teams for coming out in the middle of the night to help.
"We had teams still coming in at 6 in the morning and they'd spent the majority of the night searching for this family."
The trio left Lees Grove in Wainuiomata at midday yesterday with the intention of hiking in Days Bay. However, they failed to return at 3.30pm.
A concerned family member sounded the alarm with police around 6pm.
Mike Daisley, Mountain Safety Council CEO, stressed this was an example of what they call an "Unexpected Night Out," and said it should serve as a reminder to those heading our for day walks.
"An unexpected night out can happen for a whole range of reasons,
"If you don't have some basic equipment with you such as a headtorch, spare food, first aid kit, insulation layers, and a rain jacket you may be putting yourself and your family at risk, even for relatively simple tracks like those in the East Harbour Regional Park."
"You should always tell a trusted contact your trip intentions and a time you're likely to be back so they are able to raise the alarm on your behalf if you don't make your time."
