A father and his three children who were reported missing three weeks ago have been living in a tent in the bush. Police confirmed Tom Phillips and his three children had all been located in the South Waikato settlement of Marokopa since being reported missing.
A father who went missing for almost three weeks with his three children appears to have had a thorough plan to go bush, say locals - but the children were oblivious to the drama surrounding them over the past month.
Tom Phillips walked through the front door of a Marokopa home at 8am yesterday morning - into the arms of his sister and a flood of tears. He and his three children - Jayda Jin, 8, Maverick, 6, and Ember, 5 - had not been seen since September 11 after his ute was found on a nearby beach, facing out to sea.
The children were all safe and happy - but it was not clear they even knew they had been the subject of a massive search effort over the past three weeks, said police.
Otorohanga Mayor Max Baxter said there was an "overwhelming sense of relief". He said he was pleased the three children were safe and sound, but Tom did have a lot of questions to answer.
"There will be mixed emotions on behalf of the family, there's no question. As the communities will have the same mixed emotions. But at the end of the day there will be an overwhelming sense of relief that the kids are safe and sound."
"As Dad said, 'I just hope he walks in,' and he has. This is the best-case scenario," said Pethybridge.
"I talked to him for about two minutes and there were lots of tears. I want to be respectful of Tom's wishes so I can't say too much at the moment, but Tom was in a helpless place - he chose a safe place to clear his head."
Police are now trying to piece together the last 17 days and the movements of the family.
Police and emergency services - as well as hundreds of locals and volunteers - spent days searching for the family in the area of Kiritehere and Marokopa.
Inspector Will Loughrin, Waikato West Area Commander said the wider family had "experienced 17 days of hell".
Thomas Phillips, Jayda Phillips, Ember Phillips and Maverick Callum-Phillips have all been found safe and well. Photo / NZME
"To happen this way, is fantastic for the family. This is a family that experienced 17 days of hell, really."
Loughrin confirmed Phillips and his children were well and receiving appropriate support.
It wasn't even clear if the kids understood what had happened.
"My colleagues have said the kids are happy," Loughlin added. "They're playing like children do. Our main priority for them is that they're safe and well."
Mayor of the Waitomo District Council, which encompasses Marokopa, John Robertson agreed with Newstalk ZB's Heather du Plessis-Allan the result was "unreal".
"After three weeks, all the sort of emotions you go through of all those initial days of hope. We knew he was a good bushman ... most thought he'd gone to the bush.
"And then, you know, the search changed over the days. And now - wow. Most of us thought we would never see (this)."
He said he knew the area where his ute was found. "It's pristine bush. It's dense bush."
It would be difficult to find someone there, he said.
"You really have to know it, but I guess he is a bushman and he would know the area well.
"I guess he could live with a tent, though I don't know the details of how long he was in the bush or where he was.
"That's another mystery on this. Three weeks is a lot of time for kids to be with him and survive all that."
A man in the Kiritehere area saw a man on a bike with three children yesterday and contacted police. Photo / NZME
Did he go into the bush to clear his head, the mayor was asked.
"Look, I don't want to get into any stories about what might have been going on in his personal life, and I don't know. There's various stories around but I wouldn't repeat them."
The last the mayor knew, Phillips was being interviewed by police.
Will there be grumpiness about the effort that went into finding them? "There were huge efforts but I think the relief in finding them and joy that the kids are alive and well leaves all those sorts of emotions of all the work that was done ...
"I think everyone will just be overjoyed we had a great outcome."
