Missing hunter never left

Missing Wanganui hunter Tamehana Campbell has been located safe and well, having never been out hunting in the first place.

Details were vague, but Campbell, 33, was believed to have set off on an overnight hunting trip with a friend, and was thought to be in the area of National Park over the weekend.

His partner raised the alarm when he failed to return and had not made contact.

Ruapehu area commander Inspector Steve Mastrovich said a news alert was released and inquiries made in the area of National Park using information provided by Campbell's family, and several officers spent hours checking possible locations and speaking with contacts.

Police then heard rumours that things weren't quite what they seemed, and by 11am yesterday morning, they were able to confirm he had never been missing. Instead, he had been spending time with friends in Pipiriki but hadn't told his partner or family about his whereabouts.

Police were "a bit annoyed", Mr Mastrovich said.

"Police take missing persons very seriously and commit a lot of resources to resolve them as soon as possible.

However, in this instance, Mr Campbell failed to inform his partner or wider family of his intentions or his whereabouts, meaning a large amount of time and resources was spent trying to locate him."

Mr Mastrovich said the time spent chasing this case around had taken officers away from other things.