KEY POINTS:
Police have found a knife during their hunt for missing Christchurch woman Tisha Lowry, but say there is no indication yet it is connected to the investigation.
Detective Senior Sergeant Virginia Le Bas said the knife was found in an area where a number of people fished.
"We just have to assess it - we've got it and we're not going to throw it back where it was ... but at this time it wouldn't seem that relevant."
Ms Lowry, 28, disappeared without trace on the morning of September 25, after leaving the Bower Tavern in suburban Aranui to walk to her grandfather's home nearby.
She was seen walking along Wainoni Road in the company of a man whose identity Ms Le Bas said police were close to "sorting out".
About 35 officers are on the inquiry team plus specialist groups as needed.
"This is a positive investigation and we have to be methodical in our approach and take time in collating information," Ms Le Bas said.
Ms Lowry's younger sister Leanne described Tisha as an "outgoing, loveable person".
Her disappearance "is ripping the heart out of all who know and love her. We want nothing more than to have her home again, back with the family where she belongs".
"If there is any person that has any information whatsoever, no matter how insignificant they think it may be, we the family, implore you to contact the police," she said in a statement.
- NZPA
