Opinion: Parents' anguish as children not found

Missing man Nigel Peterson. Photo/supplied

It's day 10 and still we don't know where Nigel Peterson is.

It's day seven and still Jason Lines hasn't been found.

For the families of these two Rotorua men, the past week and more has been harrowing.

For Peterson's family, they are still clinging to the hope the 33-year-old who suffers from autism will be found alive.

There weretwo positive sightings of him south of Rotorua last week and today the search efforts will continue to concentrate on those areas.

His family say it's possible he has found enough food and water and could be hiding in the bush somewhere waiting to be found.

The efforts of the search teams will be boosted with help from generous Murupara helicopter business Heli Resources today.

If any residents still haven't checked their properties, they should do it now.

There hasn't been such a large-scale ground search since 2006 when 84-year-old partially blind woman Mabel Jamieson went missing from her home.

Residents joined the city-wide search for the dementia sufferer and sadly her body was found six days later not far from her home between a garage and a fence.

For the family of Lines, their hopes of finding the 24-year-old alive following last week's fishing tragedy have faded with police calling off their search on Friday.

But until he is found, they will no doubt always cling to a miracle he somehow managed to survive.

It's heartbreaking for Rotorua loved ones to be going through such ordeals so close to Christmas and our thoughts are with them.

In the meantime we wait for what we hope will be much needed good news for both families.