Ōtara boys missing 16 hours, stayed overnight with relative

A South Auckland family was thrust into a frantic search last night after two young boys, Samuel, left, and Giovan, 6, went missing from their Otara home. Photo / Supplied

Two boys who went missing in Ōtara last night are believed to have stayed overnight with a relative.

Around 20 family members of 8-year-old Samuel Rangi and 6-year-old Giovan Rangi from Auckland and Hamilton searched schools, streets, social media and any tip that came their way through the night.

They returned home at about 8am today.

A Police spokesman said police received a missing persons report in relation to two boys last night around 7pm.

"Several inquiries were made last night and overnight and inquiries indicated they had left an address to stay with another relative," he said.

"Police received information that the boys were found safe and well earlier this morning."

The Otara boy's aunty, Rochelle Mara, had taken to social media to plead for members of the public to contact police or them if the boys were sighted.

A post by the boy's mother, Veronica Rangi, had been shared 1200 times in 12 hours with many offering for support and checking in their own neighbourhoods.

"It is really out of character, they never have left before. It is extremely odd they have vanished," Mara said.

They were both last seen at their Otara home on Sidey Ave yesterday after returning home from Chapel Downs Primary School.

After they returned home, they then went about doing their chores and playing.

In that time their father, Harit Vyas, put their younger brother to bed and took a nap on the couch, and between 3.30pm and 4.30pm the boys had gone missing.

"They have their school bags and they may have taken some clothes with them because the mum noticed some of the clean clothes had been taken."

The family spent all night looking for the boys, taking shifts of driving around the streets, looking in schools and waiting to see if they would return.

The best result came at 8am after a member of the search party located the boys and returned them to the family.

"I've just heard the boys have come back to the family home and are safe," Mara said.

Vyas told the Herald that the boys would stay home from school today but the family was not yet ready to talk about what had happened.

Rangi's post on Facebook was shared more than 1200 times and friends celebrated when the boys were found.

"Awesome what a happy ending great job all involved and out there searching with kai and blankets all hours of the morning what an awesome community," said Hamiora Hoota Christopher Ngaheu.

Waterview Laundromat in Clover Park said: "Great news, we had the father of the boys check our video footage to see if the boys went past. Was overwhelming to see a lot of families and volunteers going round the neighbourhood late last night."