'Difficult search' resumes for missing soldier

Private Michael Victor Ross. Photo / NZDF

Divers are continuing to search the "cold, deep and difficult" Lake Moawhango for missing soldier Michael Ross and have no plans to scale down the search.

The police national dive squad and a dive team from the Navy have continued to search through the weekend.

Private Ross fell overboard from an inflatable boat while on a training exercise on the lake near Waiouru on Tuesday evening.

Inspector Steve Mastrovich said the Auckland police maritime unit had arrived to replace the Wanganui Coastguard vessel.

"It is a long and laborious task for the divers working in cold, deep and difficult territory," Mr Mastrovich said.

The lake was a flooded river valley which was more than 40 metres deep in some places.

"The plan is that the divers will continue diving on unidentified targets until all avenues are exhausted.

"There are no plans to scale the search back at this stage," he said.

The divers had been using sonar equipment to locate areas of interest, and search plans would be assessed once all areas had been well covered.

Private Ross, from Kaitaia, was a rifleman based at Linton who enlisted in the army in 2009.

The Defence Force said he was an experienced soldier who served in Timor Leste last year.