Craig Cooper.
Farming in Northland can be challenging and the region's farming community feels it when one of their own perishes on the land.
This week, an 87-year-old farmer went missing in rugged Far North bush south of Kaeo.
It appears the farmer had a fall, and died; his body was found in difficult terrain.
One seasoned police officer described the area as "almost vertical".
The farmer had a dog with him, known to follow him wherever he went.
Searchers spotted the dog first, and found the farmer about 10m away.
Looking for someone in the bush is challenging, looking for a person in terrain like this, even more so.
In the absence of tell tale signs, such as clothing or personal items, it seems this wee dog played a vital role in searchers finding her master; 10m in terrain like this may as well be 100m.
Bringing the farmer out of the bush was also a challenge - it took more than 20 people two hours to carry a stretcher 150m back to where the farmer had left his quad.
Getting the man out involved using ropes and pulleys to lower the stretcher down a series of waterfalls, each 2-4m in height.
When there is a tragedy like this, it hits families and communities hard.
This farmer though, had a faithful companion with him who not only kept him company, but helped speed his return to his family.
In this instance, there is some solace at least in the fact that this Northland man of the land did not spend his final moments, and indeed the time after his death, alone.
The latest news bites from around the region.