Juanita fine after good night

Kane Haerewa and Juanita at the Chatham Islands police station. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Ocean-going dog Juanita spent her first night on dry land since her adventure wrapped up in a warm blanket, sleeping soundly.

"Juanita is fine. She woke me up [yesterday] morning. She is pretty cuddly, still a bit scared," said Chatham Island Constable Kane Haerewa, who is taking care of the 2-year-old retriever cross while the family of missing solo sailor Paul Janse van Rensburg decide what to do with her.

"There's been a few issues ... She's got a bit of flatulence, I can tell you."

Mr Haerewa's wife, Kylie, said Juanita had been missing human contact and, apart from her bowels, seemed in good health.

"She's like a little baby, going around the yard doing number twos. She just wants to follow you wherever you go, she doesn't want to be by herself."

Juanita survived 17 days at sea, most of them on her own after the mysterious disappearance of Mr Janse van Rensburg.

He set sail from Tauranga on March 12, but failed to arrive in Gisborne. His friends and family have criticised the search, which was suspended after three days when about 380,000 sq km had been covered.

Yesterday, Mr Haerewa completed his examination of the yacht. Juanita had had a supply of fresh water in a bucket and an open bag of dog biscuits to keep her going.

He said Mr Janse van Rensburg had plotted his course well and his navigation charts should pinpoint when and where he was thrown from the boat.

He declined to comment on what the information showed, saying it was for the Rescue Co-ordination Centre.

There were no signs that Mr Janse van Rensburg's disappearance was anything but an accident.

"We found his navigation equipment and some navigation charts. From the information that's been obtained, it will give us a better idea of the timings of when he may have come off the boat.

"There's some good information there and that's going to give the family a bit more to go on if they want to continue a search.

"It's still a good boat - a bit of salt water spray in the cabin. There's heaps of supplies, and Juanita had a whole bag of goodies on her own bed."