KEY POINTS:
Police searching for a missing teenager have fresh hope he may be still alive after finding a pair of shoes yesterday.
The shoes were believed to belong to Luke Mason, 17, who disappeared a week ago after drinking heavily at a party in Warkworth, north of Auckland.
His bicycle was found by the Mahurangi River and police initially feared he may have fallen into the river, possibly hit his head and drowned.
Now they say they have fresh hope he is still alive after finding his shoes at a property about 100 metres south of where his bike was found on the banks of the river.
The find followed a second reported sighting of a person similar in appearance to Mr Mason on State Highway 1 near Warkworth about the time he disappeared.
He said the discovery of the shoes, coupled with the sightings, are "suggestive he was moving on foot in a southerly direction from where the bike was found," said Sergeant Bede Haughey from the Warkworth police.
"The sightings and the location of the shoes is suggesting he may well have moved south of the river on the highway attempting to hitchhike.
"It gives us a little more encouragement that Luke may still be alive."
He said a police caravan would be parked tonight on the side of the highway where the shoes were found in the hope it may jog someone's memory.
On Sunday a 40-strong search and rescue team would also be in Warkworth searching the area where the shoes were found, south of the river.
Anyone with information should call the Warkworth police on (09) 425 8109.
- NZPA
