A day-long search in rugged country northwest of Napier yesterday failed to find a 77-year-old woman who went missing on a family farm early on Tuesday night.
Police suspended the search early last night and were expecting to reconsider the position this morning, a spokesman said.
The woman had not been seen since about 6pm on Tuesday night when she went to feed some animals on the property, where she lives with family on Old Taupo Coach Rd, east of Te Pohue and off State Highway 5 between Napier and Taupo.
Police were notified soon after family members began searching on Tuesday evening, and the Lowe Corporation Hawke's Bay rescue helicopter was used in an early attempt to find the woman.
Specially trained Search and Rescue officers searched parts of the property and surrounding farmland and roads yesterday.