Futile river hunt upsets police

Police dive squad teams search for the missing man in the Waikato river in Cambridge. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Police have criticised a motorist's antics which made their national dive squad scour a dangerous stretch of the Waikato River for his body.

All the divers found was rubbish, debris and a submerged car.

About 11.30pm on Friday, the driver did not stop his black 1991 Fiat Tipo hatchback at a checkpoint, leading police on a 16km loop chase through Leamington, Karapiro and back to Cambridge.

The chase ended when his tyres were punctured by road spikes.

The man abandoned his car at a rest area near the low bridge at the southern end of the town and was last seen diving off a 5m to 10m bank into a part of the Waikato River police describe as "particularly treacherous".

Volunteers scoured the riverbanks for the man's body.

The national police dive squad was called in on Saturday to help in a notorious area signposted as unsafe for swimming.

They decided the man had emerged safely from the river and called the search off in the afternoon.

"We are fortunate the dive squad were in Taupo at the time but it really has been a waste of a valuable resource's time and in such a dangerous place," said the area police commander, Inspector Paul Carpenter.

He is appealing for information from the public, particularly from anyone who may have seen "a very, very wet man" traipsing through Cambridge early on Saturday morning.

Mr Carpenter said police were focusing their inquiries on the 40-year-old registered owner of the abandoned car.

He said the man had not reported his car as stolen "and certainly not at the time of the incident".

* Anyone with information on the identity of the driver is asked to contact Cambridge police or the Crimestoppers confidential crimeline, 0800 555-111.