A man reported missing from the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk in Te Urewera is likely to have left the area, police say.
Lake Waikaremoana, Te Urewera National Park. Photo: Robert Harding
Police believe the man returned to Wairoa to pick up his belongings and was heading to Napier.
The 59-year-old was last seen yesterday, at the Panekiri Hut, and was expected to be at Onepoto by 1pm to be picked up. The alarm was raised when he did not arrive.
A search operation was launched, though police had not ruled out the possibility that he had left the bush earlier than scheduled and hitch-hiked somewhere else.
Police would still like to hear from anyone who had seen the man to confirm his whereabouts and well-being.
The man, who is Korean, was last seen wearing a blue merino top and light brown or sandy coloured pants.
