There's more mystery surrounding the disappearance of Auckland man Denver Chance, with police saying his car may not have been sighted in Waihi as first thought.
Denver Chance Photo: Supplied
Friends and family of the 43-year-old businessman have been searching for him since he failed to return home from a trip at the end of last month.
Police initially said his red Nissan Skyline car was seen in the Coromandel town around the time he disappeared, but now say that may not have been the case.
They say it's possible another red Skyline was spotted in Waihi.
Denver Chance's car - a red 2008 Nissan Skyline. Photo: Supplied / Police
Detective Senior Sergeant Megan Goldie said police were still carrying out inquiries in Waihi - and nearby Waikino - because Mr Chance was looking to buy property in the area.
They were also looking at Karaka, in rural southern Auckland, because phone records suggested Mr Chance was in the area late on the 24th, Ms Goldie said.
Mr Chance was last seen driving away from his home in Mairangi Bay on the North Shore on the afternoon of Sunday 24 February.
Police said the 43-year-old told his friends at the house he was popping out and would be back soon, but failed to return.
His car was last seen at 4.17pm on the southern motorway near Drury.
Detective senior sergeant Megan Goldie said the confusion about the car was because there had been two red Nissan Skylines seen on the southern motorway the day Mr Chance was last seen.
They were travelling less than a minute apart.
The Skyline seen in Waihi could have been the one that was not Mr Chance's, Ms Goldie said.
Mr Chance was last seen wearing shorts and a singlet, is described as being of solid build with dark brown hair and a tattoo on his shoulder and down his left arm.
His mother Paula McGregor told Morning Report earlier this week it was terribly out of character for her son to disappear.
"We're in touch all the time, we're very close. It's very very out of character."
His family said this week it had been hideous not knowing where Denver was.
Though he looked tough he was a softie and a gentle giant, they said.
They have described him as a very loved and well-liked man, who's always happy, really into health and fitness and is an entrepreneur with quite a few business ventures on the go.