The two-week search for a fisherman missing off the Bay of Plenty coast has been formally suspended.
Missing fisherman Jason Kauta. Photo: Supplied/ Mia van den Broek
Jason Kauta was last seen setting out from Tōrere near Ōpōtiki on Easter Sunday, 17 April, and a search for him began that afternoon.
Search and rescue teams, Surf Life Saving, Coastguard vessels and Air Force and Coastguard aircraft have scoured the sea and coastline, a police statement said.
While the search was made difficult by bad weather in the days after Kauta went missing, good weather has helped the teams since then.
On Friday, police, iwi, and whānau of Jason Kauta walked the beaches and searched "secluded rocky coves" in the area, followed by a karakia.
Several items believed to have belonged to Kauta were found during the searches, including a fishing rod and wooden oar, which were returned to his whānau.