Police have paused today's search efforts for a man who was swept away in his vehicle by floodwaters north of Auckland on Wednesday morning due to high river levels.
Senior Sergeant Carl Fowlie said police received reports of a man being swept away in water at the Mahurangi River, near Warkworth, at 7.41am on Wednesday.
A passenger managed to escape the vehicle and raise the alarm. They had been attempting to cross the river at a crossing on Falls Rd.
A search operation for the man, aged in his 40s and from the wider Mahurangi community, ran through most of Wednesday and overnight into Thursday.
A police search and rescue team were in the area this afternoon, and drones were deployed to carry our aerial searches.
"Unfortunately, the man and his vehicle have yet to be located and remain missing," Fowlie said.
"While the water level in the river has dropped about a metre today, conditions are still not suitable for further searching."
Police said they would continue monitoring water levels moving into Friday and reassess search efforts then.
Police this morning said they remained in contact with the man's family.
'We acknowledge they must be going through a very uncertain and upsetting time while he remains missing," Fowlie said.
"Our thoughts are with them."
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