Husband lost in Bangkok

Karl Warhurst: Missing in Bangkok. Photo / Supplied

The wife of a Kiwi missing in Bangkok has spoken of her agonising wait for news, after heeding warnings to avoid the riot-stricken city.

Karl Warhurst, 43, has been missing for a week. He had been in Thailand for three weeks looking for work as an English teacher.

His apartment was in the area where Government troops are hunting Red Shirt insurgents.

Warhurst's wife, Sharon Billesdon, says emails to their shared gmail account are unopened, suggesting he has not been able to access the internet.

The last confirmed sighting of the Christchurch man was at a Bangkok hospital. He is believed to have been transferred to another hospital before being discharged.

"It's concerning," said Billesdon. "He has a laptop with a good battery and a cellphone. With the curfew on, maybe he's just been caught up somewhere. He might be a bit disoriented."

New Zealand police have registered Warhurst's disappearance with Interpol.

Warhurst and Billesdon lived in Korea and Vietnam for five years, teaching English.

They were in Christchurch two years before deciding to go overseas again.

"Karl went over first to sort out jobs and an apartment, while I was waiting for my qualification certificate to be sent from England," Billesdon said.

"He had fallen in love with a place out in the suburbs of Bangkok, but I told him we really needed a place closer.

"I really wish I hadn't said that now."

Warhurst's sister Cari Batenburg, 45, says the family had to "weigh up" advice from the New Zealand Government against their desire to get on a plane to travel over there.

"We're all thinking we should be over there. It's hard for us to hold back and not go," she said. "But the reality of wandering around Bangkok ... I had to stop and ask 'what do I think I'm going to find?'."

The country is listed as an "extreme risk" destination on the Government's Safe Travel website.

"He was right in the middle of all the snipers and riots," Batenburg said. "It's pretty traumatic. This is very unusual for him to lose contact.

"It's incredibly odd because the internet and phones are working over there."

Billesdon says reports her husband was involved with the Red Shirt movement are false.

"He's not into politics at all. He was finding the whole thing a bit irritating.

"He was really annoyed one day because he couldn't get home to have a shower because of the protesting."

Until last week, Warhurst was sending his wife daily updates.