Concerns are growing for 78-year-old Panguru man John Parker, who has been missing for 10 days.
Parker was last seen on Rangi Point Road on Sunday, Nov. 1, Northland Police confirmed.
Panguru is a small rural settlement on the northern side of the Hokianga Harbour, about 90km west of Kaikohe. The remote area is surrounded by extensive bush, forestry and rural roads.
Police say Parker’s white 2020 Toyota Hilux, registration MTW266, has been recovered from a remote forestry area in Panguru.
The vehicle is believed to have been located in a forest near Mitimiti.
Mitimiti is a small coastal settlement on the Tasman Sea, about 20km north-west of Panguru by road. The surrounding area is remote and heavily forested.
Despite extensive searches, Parker has not been located.
In a post to social media on a community page on Monday night - the whānau said that his ute was located and K9 unit was used to search for him.
“The search for Uncle Boy was unsuccessful today. There will be aother team of searchers coming in tomorrow. The whanau would like to thank members of the community who been supporting them. They would also like to request that our community members stay away from the search zone until further notice,” the post said.
Police believe Parker may have left his vehicle on foot and are appealing for sightings of anyone seen walking in the area.
The search is continuing across the remote forest and surrounding areas, with Panguru locals and Land Search and Rescue teams assisting.
Parker’s whānau are also helping with the search and are appealing to the community for any information that could help locate him.
Police are particularly interested in hearing from anyone who may have seen Parker walking in the area since Nov. 1.
The same area has recently been the focus of another search.
On 25th October, Far North man, Chico Paparoa was reported missing after becoming separated from a hunting party in the Warawara Forest.
He was found several hours later after an overnight search involving Land Search and Rescue teams and members of the Mitimiti community.
The search highlighted the challenges of the terrain, with dense vegetation and steep terrain hampering visibility and making it difficult for search teams to locate Paparoa.
Police and Parker’s whānau are concerned for his wellbeing and are urging anyone with information to come forward.
Anyone who has seen Parker, or has information that could assist the search, is asked to contact Police online at 105.police.govt.nz or call 105.
Please quote reference number P068180473.
Police have thanked Panguru locals and Land Search and Rescue teams for their assistance with the ongoing search.
