Police Commissioner Andrew Coster comments on an incident in Belmont where there were reports of a person with a gun. Video / Michael Craig
A Kiwi teenager who went missing after she boarded a flight from Australia to New Zealand without her family knowing has been found.
Police said in a statement tonight Leah Cooper, 15, had been "located today and is safe and well".
"Police would like to thank the public for theirassistance".
New Zealand police were reportedly working with their Australian counterparts to locate Cooper, who was believed to be in the Whakatāne area.
Her immediate family, who recently moved to Queensland from New Zealand, were worried about her welfare and questioned who facilitated her transtasman trip.
After a week of holidaying on the Gold Coast, they settled in the city of Gladstone where Waka lived.
None of the family expressed significant discontent at relocating, according to Waka.
Cooper had said she was missing her friends in New Zealand, but said nothing that indicated she was planning to flee.
Yesterday, some of the family went to the beach but Cooper stayed behind.
On their way to the shops on return from the beach, Waka said they passed Cooper walking along the road towards home, leading the family to believe that's where she was headed.
Cooper has a distinctive tattoo on her right calf in the shape of a stingray. Photo / Supplied
When they arrived home about 5pm, they found Cooper was not there and then raised the alarm - reporting her as a missing person and hitting the streets.
"We were out driving for ages," Waka said.
Waka's home was only a few minutes' drive from the Gladstone airport.
Queensland police this morning were unaware Cooper had left Gladstone but by noon officers informed the family she had flown with Qantas from Gladstone to Brisbane.
While delivering the news, the officers were notified Cooper had boarded another flight - this time from Brisbane to Auckland, landing sometime this afternoon.
"[The officers] were shocked, we were shocked, I still can't understand it," Waka said.
Cooper's family wasn't sure of her movements after landing in Auckland, but they suspected the former Trident High School student had returned to the Whakatāne area.
Waka said it was understood Cooper had been seen with friends in social media videos.
However, their attempts to track Cooper down had been hindered as they had been blocked from viewing her social media accounts.
Cooper had a boyfriend, also 15, for about two months before leaving New Zealand.
Waka said he had denied knowing anything of Cooper's disappearance during the brief communication he'd had with family.
