A 10-year-old boy was missing for six hours in farmland and forest areas in South Wairarapa on Monday night.
The boy disappeared from Hinakura and Wairarapa police searched the area after he was reported missing.
He was last seen playing with a puppy in the backyard of the property at 5pm when he went missing and had only been living in the area since Christmas.
A number of police and land search and rescue teams, including a specialist rescue dog, spent hours in the dark until they located him at about 11.15pm.
It appeared he wandered off and was caught out when it got dark.
