KEY POINTS:
A dinghy, oars and a hat belonging to a missing eye surgeon were found by searchers in Whangarei Harbour yesterday.
Geoffrey Martin Wallace, 46, is an experienced boatie but would have faced rough weather when he set out from a marina and may not have been wearing a lifejacket.
Dr Wallace, who runs Eye Specialists on Kamo Rd, Whangarei, had left One Tree Pt about 5pm on Wednesday in his 2.7m aluminium dinghy. It had a small outboard motor.
It is understood he was heading to his home at Parua Bay because he had forgotten keys to his larger boat, which was undergoing repairs. Going by dinghy is quicker than travelling back by car.
Wife Kathryn alerted police when he hadn't arrived by 8.20pm.
Sergeant Dean Walford said Dr Wallace would have been facing westerly winds with gusts up to 13 knots.
He said the surgeon had grown up with boats and was "an okay swimmer". However, he probably didn't have a lifejacket. One was found in his car at One Tree Pt.
His upturned dinghy was found late yesterday morning at Home Pt on the northern side of the Whangarei Harbour entrance. Its oars and his hat were found soon after, all within 100m of each other.
Police had started inquiries at One Tree Pt before a land and sea search was started involving the coastguard, Search and Rescue and a helicopter, concentrating on the McLeods Bay and Urquharts Bay areas.
The search was called off last night and police were to discuss whether to resume this morning.
"We're pretty confident we've searched everywhere he could have been," Mr Walford said.
"If he was on the surface, like clinging to a rock or something, he would have turned up now. There is a lot of boat traffic in the areas; somebody would have seen him."
If he isn't found today police would probably call off the search entirely and wait to hear of a body surfacing.
"We will not be actively looking for him but we will keep reminding people in the area to keep a look out."
