Search continues for Canadian tourist's body

Connor Hayes.

A team of 50 volunteers and rescuers have returned to Haast for the night after spending the day searching for the body of Canadian tourist Connor Hayes.

Mr Hayes, 25 and his partner Joanna Lam, 24, were believed to have been driving on the Haast Pass when their campervan was swept off the road by a landslide during a storm nearly two weeks ago.

Searchers have been scouring the area since Tuesday and a woman's body was recovered on a beach near Haast on Friday.

While it was believed to be that of Ms Lam and her next of kin have been told, police are yet to make a formal identification.

The body was discovered on a stretch of coast between Hast Point and Knights Point - close to where the fuel tank of the couple's wrecked van was recovered last week and about 50km from where the couple's vehicle was believed to have left the road.

There has been no sign of Mr Hayes.

A Haast resident said mix of volunteers and police officers were involved in today's search effort.

The search was mostly based around Haast River and surrounding beaches.

The landslide which was believed to have knocked the couple's campervan from the road on September 10 blocked State Highway 6 between Gates of Haast Bridge and Haast Pass Summit.

The van's chassis was found wrapped around a large boulder in the Haast River on Tuesday and a seat from the van has also been found.

The Haast Pass road has since reopened, although use of the route is limited to daylight hours.