A boat has been found in the search for a fisherman missing off Whangapoua in Coromandel.
The man left the Whangapoua boat ramp at about 9am on Friday but after he failed to return that afternoon, search and rescue teams began to look for him.
The operation resumed Saturday morning with the police Eagle helicopter, a Coastguard fixed-wing plane and Coastguard vessels deployed to help the search efforts.
Now, police say his boat has been located - but the fisherman remains missing.
"At 2pm a private vessel came across the missing boat named Tubby, approximately 24 nautical miles off the coast of Whitianga," a police spokesperson says.
"No one was located on board and the boat is in the process of being recovered."
Anyone who can provide information about sightings of the boat from 9am on Friday, or who locates any items of interest that may be related, is asked to contact 111 and quote event file number P04906827.
