Piha search set to continue

Piha Beach, where a woman went missing on the weekend.Photo / Chris Loufte

The search for a missing woman at a west Auckland beach will resume this morning.

Police, a land search and rescue team, surf lifesaving teams and the Westpac rescue helicopter yesterday searched the Piha beach area for the woman, after her car was found unlocked in the Mercer Bay area on Saturday night.

It is feared she may have fallen from a 300m-high cliff into the water.

Searches were called off last night.

But local lifeguards will resume the search at around 11.30am today until low tide at 2pm.

Jason Harvey, regional lifeguard supervisor at Piha, said four lifeguards will be using two inflatable rescue boats in the search.

Police would like to hear from a couple, who may have seen the missing woman about 7.15pm on Saturday night walking down the Mercer Bay loop track.

The couple told a local resident about their concern for the woman, and police were called.