Sister pleads with police to keep searching for brother missing in NZ wilderness
The sister of a missing New Zealand man has pleaded with police to continue to search for her brother who disappeared 17 days ago.
Vincent Taurima and his friend, Hākopa Ngaronoa, went missing after becoming lost in the bush inside Tongariro National Park, located on the North Island, Fairfax Media reports.
On day five of the large scale search effort police said hopes of finding the pair were rapidly diminishing.
By day 12, Fairfax reports, police said it would be a miracle to find the pair alive and since then searches for the missing men have been scaled back.
His sister, Ryder August, however is now pleading for the search efforts to continue.
She firmly believes her 21-year-old brother is still alive.
“The search has kind of come to a halt,” she told Fairfax.
“There was momentum there but it’s just, I don’t know, dwindled off,” she said about the search efforts.
Taurima was travelling in a stolen car when he and another occupant were chased by police, The NZ Herald reports.
It was then the pair abandoned the car and fled into nearby bushland.
The men were not equipped for the extreme cold weather Taurima’s uncle said he didn’t have any experience surviving in the bush.
In a statement to 7 News Online local police said: “After an exhausting 10-day search for search and rescue staff and volunteers, a rāhui [access to the area will be restricted] will remain on the area for the rest of the week.”
“While the rāhui is in place, Police will be considering its next steps in our efforts to find the men,” the statement continued.
The missing men did make an emergency phone call shortly after they first became lost stating that they were cold and numb.
The missing man also rang his father and told him he was sitting next to a fire.
“I don’t think I’m going to survive another night,” Taurima reportedly said during the final call to his father.
Early last week searchers found a campfire, shoes and several other items of clothing, however failed to locate the missing pair.
