New footage believed to show missing Tauranga doctor David Holland walking in the opposite direction to what was previously thought has surprised his friends and given them hope for a break in the year-old case.
Today marks a year since the then-31-year-old was last seen at his Pāpāmoa Beach home.
The alarm bells sounded when he failed to turn up for work at Tauranga Hospital so family and friends expressed concern for his welfare and a missing person inquiry began.
Holland was initially believed to have gone for a swim at the beach near the end of Pacific View Rd, however, on Thursday police revealed new imagery from CCTV footage showing a man walking alone along the Sandhurst Drive overbridge onto Truman Lane, then north towards State Highway 29A at about 8pm on March 11, 2022.
Family members believe it to be Holland.
Elanor McCaffery, from Ōtumoetai, said she and Holland become close friends three years ago and described him as a “unique and special” person.
McCaffery’s last contact with him was on the morning of March 11 when she texted to check he was safe after becoming concerned about the rise in Covid-19 cases in Tauranga Hospital.
“Dave reassured me he was okay and I texted him again the next day but he never replied.”
McCaffery said the new footage “surprised” her and raised more questions, but it “suddenly has opened up new possibilities” about Holland’s movements.
After learning about concerns for Holland’s safety on March 13, McCaffery called him but got no answer, then visited the beach near his home to help search for him, including looking in nearby rubbish bins for his “distinctive” drink bottle.
“Dave is a great guy, a great listener and really lots of fun to talk to, and he has a genuine compassion for other people and I have never met someone with such a pure heart.”
A tearful McCaffery said not having closure felt like being in “limbo.”
“It feels like Dave is alive and dead at the same time and I can’t grieve properly and move on. We desperately need answers.”
Matt Shand became friends with Holland while playing ultimate frisbee and board games together and said the footage “renews” his hope that he will see him again.
“Overall I view this as something that is positive and it shows the police are doing all they can to find Dave and I hope this footage may help jog people’s memories.”
Shand, who described Holland as a caring person with a “lovely soul”, said their last contact was a week or two before his disappearance.
“Like many others, I was surprised as the last time I spoke to Dave I didn’t feel anything was up.
“I think everyone processes things like this in their own way. For me, the police should be commended for their extensive and thorough efforts to find him.”
Shand said there was still hope Holland’s whereabouts would be resolved and the lack of definite closure was the hardest thing.
“There are so many questions and we don’t know all the answers but I feel the story isn’t over.
“Dave was a keen cyclist and I would be lying if didn’t say when I see a cyclist riding past or something else sparks a memory of him, I catch myself doing a double-take.
“We all miss him ... If Dave suddenly turned up, I would probably hit him or hug him, probably both.”
Holland’s disappearance was a timely reminder to everyone to ensure they regularly check in with family, friends and work colleagues to ask if they are doing okay and to be “kind to each other”, Shand said.
Former girlfriend Rita Khabitueva hoped the footage would lead to more people coming forward with information.
“I know the police have done all they can to find Dave and that is what matters in the end.”
She said the police-led inquiry and huge outpouring of community support to try and locate him was exceptional.
“In my opinion, the police department has done an amazing and thorough job to try and find Dave.
“And a year on it’s important for everyone to know that his disappearance has changed all our lives including casual acquaintances and even strangers who just turned up to help search for him.
“The aftermath of Dave’s disappearance is wide-reaching. It’s still hard to process that he is not here and the sheer loss and desperation to find answers has affected everyone who has been part of Dave’s life and many people, including myself, are devastated.
“People feel lost without closure and we are all still grieving and life without Dave will never be the same.”
Mount Ultimate Frisbee member Laura Penny said it was “extremely difficult” as each day passed without news of Holland’s whereabouts.
“Dave was an active member of our frisbee family. His presence is missed greatly at every training session or competition we take part in. And for those of us who joined the search for him think of him every time we visit the beach and... every time we take the field.
“Our recent mixed team, who competed in the division two nationals had a number of people who played frequently with Dave, and at the start of the competition we all took a quiet moment as a group to remember our friend, and we dedicated our games to him.
“We played the best we’d ever played and I think this was because we all wanted to feel like he would be proud of our achievements over those days.”
Penny said she thought of Holland every time she went surfing, a sport they both loved.
“My fondest memory of Dave was when we last surfed before his disappearance.
“We both caught our biggest ever waves and I can still see the huge smile he had on his face as he shot across the wave that day.”
Originally from Swansea in Wales, Holland was a keen cyclist, surfer, hiker, snorkeller, scuba driver, free diver and an experienced swimmer who loved the sea.
Detective Inspector Craig Rawlinson said if the man in the footage was Holland, it was “the last known recording of him”.
“The male was wearing hiking boots, tan-coloured pants, and a dark-coloured long-sleeved hooded top. David had previously been recorded wearing similar clothing, all of which was missing from his home address. Again indicating that the male is David.
“Police and Search and Rescue [SAR] have searched the Matapihi/Maungatapu area using a tracker dog, a drone, and foot searchers.
“We have received more than 30 reports from members of the public since David went missing. Unfortunately, none of this information has led to a positive line of inquiry.”
Rawlinson said 148 volunteers and staff from police, LandSAR, Surf Lifesaving NZ and Coastguard spent 612 hours looking for Holland in an expansive land search.
No electronic footprint had been found since he was last seen at his home — no emails, phone calls, texts, credit card or banking transactions.
“Despite a number of inquiries being carried out, David’s whereabouts remain unknown,” Rawlinson said.
“We are still treating this as an active missing person inquiry. We feel for the family and are doing everything we can to find David for them.”
Rawlinson thanked the community for their willingness to try and locate Holland and urged anyone with information to call 105 and quote file number 220312/6869.
Tauranga LandSAR chairman Nic Hume said at least 25 volunteers “covered a lot of ground” during weeks of searching.
He said some groups continued to search even after the official search started to wind down when nothing of interest was recovered.
More than 22km of the coastline from Mount Maunganui to Maketū was searched, including sand dunes and reserves, pockets of bush, areas less travelled, private property and in and around Holland’s home.
A search and rescue dog team was used, as well as thermal imaging cameras that detect small heat sources.
Hume said members would “love to keep looking.”
“It’s like leaving a breadcrumb trail and our operations team were able to direct to us to areas or spaces we may have missed or wanted us to revisit.
“In a heartbeat, we will be out there again if there is fresh information about new places of interest to search.”
Hume felt for Holland’s family and friends.
“It would be nice to be able to offer some closure for David’s family but this is one of those very unfortunate cases where nothing of interest has been recovered and I really hope someone comes forward with fresh information.”
Former Te Whatu Ora Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty (formerly the Bay of Plenty District Health Board) chief executive Pete Chandler said he vividly remembered the day of Holland’s disappearance and his heart went out to his family, friends and colleagues.
“I cannot imagine how they can move on when there are so many unanswered questions. It’s an unresolved tragedy.”
In a written statement, Te Whatu Ora Hauora Toi Bay of Plenty chief medical officer Dr Kate Grimwade said its thoughts were with those “closest to him” during the anniversary.
“We are asking our staff members to look out for their work colleagues and to check in with them on how they’re doing. Support is available for them if they need it.”
The Holland family were approached for comment.
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