An overdue fishing vessel off the Whangarei coast was found on Saturday afternoon, but both crew members were unaccounted for.
The boat was spotted by a member of the public, with Coastguard Air Patrol quickly confirming it was the vessel that had been reported missing. It was towed back to shore, but nobody was found on board.
A second member of the public then made a grim discovery. "Another member of the public then located a person deceased in the water and they stayed with them until the body could be recovered," Detective Sergeant Paul Overton said.
The search for the remaining crew member was continuing. "While this isn't the outcome any of us wanted, we remain focused on bringing both people home to their whānau," Sergeant Overton said.
The vessel had been due back at Pataua South by 7pm on Friday. When it failed to return, a search was launched two hours later, drawing in Coastguard, police, search and rescue volunteers, and the Eagle police helicopter. Those teams were stood down at around 4am before resuming at 8am on Saturday morning.
With the vessel found empty that afternoon, a large-scale search by sea and air pressed on, alongside systematic searches of the shoreline.
The operation brought together a wide range of agencies and community members, including Land Search and Rescue, Coastguard Tūtūkākā, Coastguard Whangārei, Coastguard Air Patrol, the Royal New Zealand Air Force, the Auckland Maritime Unit, and local volunteers.
"I would like to acknowledge all of those people involved, including boaties and members of the community who offered their help," Sergeant Overton said.
