13 Jan 2017

Tasman sailing breached family court order - NZ police

8:46 pm on 13 January 2017

Police are investigating Alan Langdon, who they say breached a family court order by taking his daughter out of New Zealand.

Que Langdon and her father, Alan.

Que Langdon and her father, Alan, after their arrival in Ulladulla, New South Wales. Photo: Courtesy of ABC News, photographed by Greg Nelson

Mr Langdon sailed his six-year-old daughter Que across the Tasman in a 6.4m catamaran.

He has said he did not want to return to New Zealand, despite the wishes of Que's Swiss-born mother, Ariane Wyler, who has been living in Golden Bay in the South Island.

A large search for Que and her father was triggered when contact was lost after they left Kawhia before Christmas, apparently bound for the Bay of Islands.

Que's mother hired a private investigator to help find them. Mr Langdon and his daughter were spotted this week in a coastal Australian township by a member of the public who alerted authorities.

New Zealand police said they were considering the information relating to the pair's arrival on Wednesday in New South Wales and the matter was under investigation.

They were working with Australian authorities, they said.

'She went to hell and back, basically'

Col Chapman, the child recovery expert Ms Wyler hired to help find Que, said her parents' relationship unravelled after their yacht was destroyed in Cyclone Pam in March 2015 and they were repatriated to Australia from Vanuatu.

Mr Chapman said a dispute around custody and access began at that point. He said early on in the search that Mr Langdon's past behaviour indicated he was likely to have headed back to Australia. He alleged Mr Langdon had come to New Zealand to avoid court action.

Ms Wyler's friend and flatmate in Golden Bay, Kelcey Chandler, said Ms Wyler had "been through hell" in the months since she moved to her house last May, trying to arrange formal custody.

"When she came here she wanted a place big enough to bring her daughter, should she find her daughter. At the time she had on-and-off contact with her ex-husband and he was in Australia, some place, and then he just up and disappeared.

"Mentally it just threw her for a huge loop. She went to hell and back, basically," Ms Chandler said.

Alan Langdon's boat.

Mr Langdon's catamaran - pictured after its arrival in Ulladulla, NSW Photo: Courtesy of ABC News, photographed by Greg Nelson

Mr Langdon and Que turned up in Ulladulla in NSW this week, and he has said Australia was now home for the pair.

He told the ABC a broken rudder and bad weather made things difficult, so heading to Australia was the safest choice. He insisted he and his daughter were in no danger during their 25-day crossing to Australia.

He said earlier that he had no way of communicating their situation to anyone.

New Zealand police told RNZ that details around the cost of the search for the pair would be released under the Official Information Act.

Ms Chandler, who is also an experienced offshore sailor and who has sailed with young children on board, said not having communication systems while at sea was irresponsible.

"I wouldn't do it, and not many people I know would do that. We spent a lot of time fitting out our boat and making sure we had communications systems - one reason being for family and friends and also for the case of an emergency.

"When you're at sea people always wonder how you are and what's going on."

Mr Chapman said Mr Langdon had a phone but no plan that allowed it to work outside New Zealand.

Ms Wyler was understood to be on her way to New Zealand from her home country of Switzerland, where she has been caring for her mother since late last year.

Timeline and background

According to information provided by Col Chapman, who has been working for Ariane Wyler:

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