Police confirm body in crashed truck is missing man Christopher Turnbull

Last week police said they were looking for 55-year-old Christopher Turnbull. Photo / NZ Police

Police have confirmed the man who was found dead in his crashed ute had been missing for 10 days.

Christopher Turnbull, 55, died in a single car crash in Greta Valley.

The truck was found just before 4pm yesterday on State Highway 1 - known as Greta Rd - just south of the Hurunui River, about 83km north of Christchurch.

Last week police reported they were looking for Turnbull after he left his home in Greta Valley in a double-cab Mitsubishi Triton 10 days ago and had not been seen since.

The vehicle was off the road and it appeared it had been there for some time, a fire service spokesman said.

One vehicle was involved in the crash, and the police investigation into the crash is ongoing.