Adele is 150cm tall, has long brown hair, was carrying a blue and white material bag and black hand bag and usually wears a black outer vest.
She was previously an after school care supervisor at St Peter Chanel Catholic School and Vardon School and is an active member of St Andrews Lions.
Townsend waited for 30 minutes hoping she may have just nipped into the nearby women's toilets and he also scoured the bus for her. He didn't walk the entire length of the bus and said his wife of eight years was "quite short" so he may not have seen her over the high seats.
He also spoke to the bus driver who said he would have to check his laptop as he did not know her by name. However he had done a headcount in Wellington and Taupo which matched up with the number of passengers he was meant to have on board.
"But if I described her or had a picture then maybe that would have done it. "
It wasn't until Townsend went back home and there was still no sign of his wife that he started to worry. He called friends and family, but no one knew where the woman described as "quiet" was.
At 8pm on Saturday he called police and then went into the police station on Sunday morning to file a missing person's report.
Adele Townsend had previously worked at Vardon School as a supervisor for the after school programme, but it was only when her husband rang up the school earlier this week to say she would not be in that he discovered she had not been working.
"I didn't know she wasn't working. For about nine months. She's been telling me Tuesdays. I rang the school up to say she won't be there and she said she hasn't been working since Christmas."
His wife had been on medication for some time, but in the past four weeks, he had concerns it wasn't working. It was the first time he had known her to disappear.
"She still seemed to be fine. It was just at night she was having these nightmares . . .
"She took off down to Wellington the week before [last Sunday] and she didn't say anything and her brother is down there. She went into hospital for a week."
Townsend's brother Michael collected her from hospital on Saturday morning before dropping her at the bus station.
His husband is urging the public to look out for her, but said she doubted she made it as far as Hamilton.
"Keep an eye out for her but I think she's going somewhere else than Hamilton. She must have got off the bus before Taupo or somewhere else. I rang friends and everyone else but no job. Her sisters live over in Tauranga and maybe she caught the bus from Taupo to Tauranga or somewhere in that area. But she hasn't got much money on her so she won't get far."
Waikato police are now investigating and are appealing to the public for help. Police were not sure if Townsend got off at an earlier spot, but said it was unclear as to where else she may have gone as she had been planning on going home.
Intercity general manager Sam Peate confirmed Townsend had checked in with the driver 25 minutes before departure and said the bus company had spoken with Hamilton Police about Saturday's service.
The service from Wellington to Auckland makes a number of stops including Porirua, Otaki, Bulls, Flat Hills, Waiouru, Turangi, Taupo, Tokoroa, Putaruru, Tirau, Cambridge and Hamilton.
St Andrews Lions past president Derek Hosie was shocked by the news Townsend was missing and said she was an active member who attended monthly team members, BBQs and regularly helped out.
Anyone with information about Townsend whereabouts are asked to contact the Hamilton Police on 07 858 6200.
