Emergency services scoured Te Mata Park yesterday after a visitor to the Havelock North Park reported of a loud crash similar to the sound of a tree falling, followed by a cry for help.
The park, on the slopes of Te Mata Peak in Havelock North, had many visitors today because of school holidays and fine weather.
Police, ambulance and fire crews arrived on the scene, scouring the steep terrain for an injured person or fallen tree near the smaller redwood plantation at the park.
A large tree stump was found on a walking track, which appeared to have recently tumbled down the hillside and come to rest on the flat portion of the track.
Police asked people near the vicinity of the search to remain quiet in case the injured person was calling fo help.