Search at river mouth for tot

The police dive squad yesterday continued to search Gisborne's Waimata River. Photo / Alan Gibson.

The parents of missing 4-year-old Lucas Ward are still praying that their little boy is alive - though family have for the first time made searches of the river mouth.

As the search for the Gisborne pre-schooler enters its sixth day, police have no plans to scale down their search.

Lucas, who was known to wander off from family members and was not afraid to talk to strangers, walked away from his grandparents' Graham Rd home about 3pm on Tuesday.

A packet of chips his grandmother had given him was found in the water soon after.

His grandfather Mark Hunt told the Herald on Sunday yesterday that Lucas' parents Jessica and Damon Ward were "taking it easy".

"They're catching their breath, having a bit of a lie down, trying to get some sleep and are not taking any calls."

The pair, who are separated, still believed their son could be found alive, Hunt said.

"It's been pretty tough. We are hoping for some type of closure today. We won't ever give up hope."

Hunt said his employer, timber product company Juken New Zealand, let about 35 men off work to scour the Gisborne coastline for Lucas.

Juken manager Sheldon Drummond told the Gisborne Herald Lucas was "a real cute little dude".

"He hangs out with his grandad in the weekends from time to time when he is at work and it is great having him there."

The company had also put a helicopter in the air to search the beaches and the bay.

Dozens of locals braved the cold and freezing temperatures of Gisborne yesterday to search for the little boy.

Police divers continued to search the Waimata River, which runs behind Lucas' grandparents' home.

But about 12 family members dove downstream, in the Turanganui River, near where it meets the sea at Waikanae Beach. The area has not yet been covered by police.

They also dove around Sponge Bay, further along the coast.

The diving gear and two boats were donated by Adventure Dive Gisborne, where a friend of Lucas' uncle is an instructor.

Dale Banks said the group started about 7am and finished late in the afternoon.

"Police let us come in today, we wanted to start on Wednesday but they told us to hold off so we don't interfere with their processes."

Hunt family member Connie Tait, who drove from Masterton with her daughter on Thursday, was preparing pumpkin soup and buttering bread out of the back of a van for the divers and other searchers yesterday.

She said family members had come from Auckland, Rotorua, Palmerston North, Napier and further up the east coast.

"There's been a big group searching along the railway tracks today. Lucas loved trains, truck and diggers, he was really into that sort of stuff."

She said Lucas was a "gorgeous, happy little boy who was the spitting image of his dad".

Lucas' mum said it was possible her animal-lover son had followed a dog, become lost and sought shelter.

Three of five possible sightings of Lucas had been ruled out but police were still appealing for more information on children seen on the corner of Graham Rd and Marian Drive and on Tui and Kara Sts.

They were also wanting to speak to two kayakers seen on the Waimata River around the time Lucas went missing.

Nearly every shop in Gisborne has a photo of the little boy in the window, urging people to call police with information on his whereabouts.

Schoolchildren have taped pictures of the youngster to their backpacks and T-shirts.

The Help Find Lucas Ward Facebook page had more than 6700 members last night.