A person is missing on the West Coast after being swept out to sea near Greymouth yesterday, with a kayak washing up on a nearby beach around an hour and a half later.
Emergency services received a report of a person swept out to sea in the Blaketown area at around 6pm on Saturday.
Senior Sergeant Mark Kirkwood said extensive searches had been conducted in the area, involving police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Kotuku Surf Lifesaving and Garden City Helicopters.
An Emily B Drifter was also deployed to assist the search.
The device, which replicates where a person in the ocean may be, was developed by the Emily Branje Trust — founded by Janine Branje after her 9-year-old daughter Emily drowned at the Hokitika River mouth in 2019.
Kirkwood said police were making inquiries into a kayak which had been located washed up near Blaketown at around 7.30pm on Saturday.
"Police are making enquiries to determine whether this is linked to the person that was seen," he said.
"We’re asking anybody who recognises this kayak, or has not heard from somebody who was kayaking in Greymouth yesterday to contact police on 105."
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