KEY POINTS:
Police are still confident of finding alive a Northland hunter after his fourth night lost in the Kaimanawa Ranges.
Andreas Thirling, 50, from Ruakaka, went on a solo hunt for deer in the Waipakihi River Valley on Thursday morning and failed to return that night.
Senior Constable Barry Shepherd said conditions in the ranges had been mild and "all is not lost".
"It's been a bit cold at night, but the weather's not been too bad.
"We're being realistic though," Mr Shepherd said.
This morning dog handlers were joining 11 search and rescue teams, which stayed in the area overnight.
Mr Thirling was described as an inexperienced hunter who was not familiar with the rugged terrain.
The difficulty of the terrain made the geographical size of the search academic, Mr Shepherd said.
"It could be a square kilometre and you could still miss him."
- NZPA
