10 Oct 2014

Search resumes for missing helicopter

11:41 am on 10 October 2014

Two fresh teams have joined the search for a helicopter missing since Tuesday morning in Kahurangi National Park.

Five helicopters and six ground teams are again in action, with the weather conditions good.

The Robinson 44 helicopter had just the pilot on board when it went missing on Tuesday morning during a flight from Karamea on the West Coast to Nelson.

Five ground teams have been searching steep bush for two days, while four helicopters have searched the tree canopy.

Maritime New Zealand said it pulled the 20 searchers out last night for a breather and two fresh teams are joining the search today.

The search area has focused on an area within the original 5 km parameter in which the helicopter is thought to have gone down.

Search co-ordinator Neville Blakemore said the teams are repeating the search of some areas to see if different light at different times of the day reveals any clues.