Nelson Bays Area Commander Inspector Matt Scoles:
The search for the missing swimmer at Maruia Falls will continue over the
weekend.
Today members of Police staff and Land Search and Rescue volunteers continued
their search for the missing 26-year-old Christchurch man, who failed to
resurface after jumping into the water last Friday.
The team encountered another day of challenging conditions, with very poor
visibility reported.
An extensive search of the pools on the east side of the river beneath the
falls was undertaken, utilising a submersible camera from a raft tethered on
the river.
A second team, made up of four swimmers and two inflatable rescue boats
coordinated a thorough search of the river downstream for approximately two
kilometres.
Sadly, the missing swimmer was not located.
We remain in close contact with the family at this difficult time and will
continue to do so to provide them with any necessary support.
We will continue to do all that we can to locate the man and return him to
his family.
Search efforts are expected to resume tomorrow and river conditions will be
constantly reassessed.