Boy goes missing at Piha

A teenage boy has gone missing after getting into trouble at a beach west of Auckland.

The boy went missing in the water at Piha Beach, 45km southwest of downtown Auckland, about 3pm today.

"He went into the water with a boogie board but became missing," Inspector Matt Rogers of the police northern communications centre said.

"The boogie board has since been found, but unfortunately we haven't found him yet. It's not looking good."

Mr Rogers said the Westpac rescue helicopter and a fixed wing plane were searching for the boy.

He said he understood the boy's father and some friends were present but he did not know if they were in the water with the boy when he got into difficulty.

The boy's disappearance comes the day after a tragic fishing accident in Kawakawa Bay, southeast of Auckland, in which one man died and another is missing, presumed drowned.

- NZPA