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Wellington’s volunteer coast guard has been pulled from the search for a missing kayaker off the south coast of the North Island since Sunday.
A kayak was found in the water in Tarakena Bay, near the southern end of the Wellington Airport runway, and police confirmed that they had identified who had been in the kayak but was still missing.
Wellington Coast Guard President Vicki Rowland said service volunteers were looking in the water until 11:30 p.m. Sunday, then some had to call their day jobs Monday to say they would be out looking again Monday. .
The Coast Guard was called in to help police search Palliser Bay, off the southern coast of Wairarapa and about 25 km from where the kayak was found, Sunday morning. But Rowland confirmed around 1.30pm Monday that police had withdrawn the Coast Guard and were heading back to Wellington.
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He could not confirm why he had withdrawn.
A marine tracking website shows that police launch Lady Elizabeth IV, who was also searching Palliser Bay, is now heading back to Wellington, but police have confirmed that the search for the missing kayaker is still underway.
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The search for a missing kayaker restarted at first light Monday.
Sergeant Major Dave Houston, Officer in Charge of the Wellington Police Maritime Unit, previously said that the drift patterns meant the police launch was focused on Palliser Bay.
Houston said the wind in Palliser Bay was expected to increase to 40 knots, or 74 km / h, through Monday, making the search difficult.
The man’s red kayak, with freshly caught fish on board, was found floating in Tarakena Bay around 3.30pm on Sunday.
National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research Senior Marine Physics Scientist Craig Stevens said that many things that ended up in the water in Wellington made their way to Palliser Bay due to a steady current south of the city flowing into that direction.
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The kayak was found with fresh fish on board Sunday afternoon.
The northwest wind on Sunday afternoon will tend to push things in that direction as well. But there was also a rising tide that could have created an attraction towards Wellington Harbor and possibly Eastbourne, he said.
A Royal New Zealand Air Force NH90 helicopter and Wellington Westpac rescue helicopter are conducting aerial searches, while ground search teams began walking around the Miramar coastline at 7 a.m.
Other shoreline search parties were previously searching along the Eastbourne, Wainuiomata and Wairarapa shores.
Anyone who finds any items of interest in these areas should contact the police immediately at 111 and cite event number P045173862.
The rescue helicopter and police launch stopped shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday, before beginning the search again this morning.
- Contact the police at 105 and quote work number P045173862 if you know more
