Dutch businessman on missing helicopter

The man travelling with Michael Erceg in his Eurocopter helicopter was jet-setting Dutch businessman Guus Klatte.

Mr Klatte is the director of exports for beer giant Grolsch in the Netherlands, and the company confirmed last night he had been scheduled to be in New Zealand for just a few days on business.

The company's latest annual report notes that New Zealand is one of the key markets in which it is aiming to boost its sales.

The report also notes that last year was "exceptionally successful" for Grolsch in Australia and New Zealand, with sales volumes doubling.

"The success in New Zealand is partly due to the approach by the new distributor, Independent Distillers," it says. Independent Distillers is Michael Erceg's company.

Grolsch spokesman Coen Thonissen said last night he had been devastated to hear about the missing helicopter.

It was a particularly difficult time for Mr Klatte's girlfriend Floor, who was not with him on the New Zealand trip, and his family.

Mr Thonissen said the company did not want to comment further until it knew more about the fate of the helicopter: "At the moment we are waiting for more information and hoping for the very best."

Mr Klatte appears to be an experienced traveller, who frequently posts stunning photos and snippets about his travels on the internet.

In January he posted more than a dozen photos of New Zealand on his blog site, including pictures of the Viaduct Harbour in Auckland.

Although most of his postings are in Dutch, a posting in English in February raved about the city of Mumbai (Bombay).

"I travelled a lot and love cities," he wrote. "I lived in New York, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Amsterdam and know my cities. If your top 5 used to be Shang Hai [sic], Tokyo, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Sidney [sic], check out Bombay. Skip everything mentioned in the guides, they are of little interest. Just walk around, and enjoy the eclectic city with a surplus of energy."

Many of the photos also feature his girlfriend and the blogs appear to show he was in India just a few weeks ago.

Another website indicates he was previously the area manager for Latin America for AKZO Nobel, a Dutch company specialising in healthcare products, coatings and chemicals.

The company employs around 62,000 people in more than 80 countries.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY