James Williams: 'I didn't even realise I was missing'

James Williams

A Rotorua man who sparked a national police alert with family and friends scouring rural areas looking for him says he has a bad sense of direction and didn't realise he had been reported missing.

James Williams left Rotorua for Wellington on Thursday morning but failed to turn up for work there at 7pm. He was seen late that afternoon at Bulls when he was stopped by police for speeding. The 27-year-old's disappearance triggered pleas for help on Facebook and search parties covering the area between Bulls and Otaki down to Wellington.

Police issued a statement on Friday night saying they were concerned after he failed to turn up for work at a research Niwa vessel in Wellington. He was found safe in the capital on Saturday morning.

"I have very, very bad sense of direction, I got lost in a cow paddock in New Year's," Mr Williams told the Rotorua Daily Post. "I think I got lost near Sanson, around Bulls after I was pulled up by the police on Thursday night. I just seemed to have ended up in the middle of nowhere."

He had pulled over to the side of the road before his car had cutout and the key would not turn, Mr Williams said.

"I didn't have my phone on me and the clock in the car was broken so I didn't know what time it was."

"It was dark and I walked one way for hours looking for help, my legs were really sore. I couldn't find anything so went back to the car to sleep."

The next morning he walked in the opposite direction and found a petrol station that was able to help get him back on the road. He arrived in Wellington late Friday night or early Saturday morning and slept in his car again before showing up at a friend's house.

"She said, 'stay there, everybody has been looking for you'," he said. "I didn't even realise I was missing. I didn't realise how many people cared, I'm shocked. I heard from people I hadn't heard from since high school."

His partner, Jess from Rotorua, was extremely worried as he had always been in daily contact.

"She was just really relieved, she thought I was dead, that I had a run in with bad hitchhikers," he said.

His mother-in-law, Julie Hill from Rotorua, was part of the group of 16 people looking. Mr Williams said Ms Hill had told Manawatu farmers to keep an eye out for him in ditches.

"I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that helped."