The man had been collecting shellfish with another person when he “went into the water shortly before midnight”, police said in a statement.
He was not wearing a lifejacket. The Herald understands the man’s family saw him get washed away.
The Police Air Support Unit, known as the Eagle helicopter, performed an extensive search of the area overnight inside and outside the bar, police said.
Volunteers from Coastguard Titirangi and Coastguard Papakura also conducted a water search, while police and Fire and Emergency New Zealand teams searched the shoreline.
That included the Coastguard Auckland Air Patrol team searching from the air, along with rescue vessels from Coastguard Papakura and Coastguard Titirangi.
The Coastguard volunteers said they were paged to help in the search at about 11.49pm on Friday.
“In rough and worsening conditions, our teams worked through the night, braving the elements in hopes of a successful outcome,” Coastguard New Zealand said.
“Unfortunately, after several hours of searching, we were stood down by the police and returned to shore around 3am,” the organisation said.
Coastguard Papakura skipper Jim Levitt, aboard Papakura Rescue 1, said the wind and tide created choppy seas, made worse by a 1.5m swell.
“Both crews from Papakura and Titirangi gave it their all, but the rough conditions near the bar made it too dangerous to continue searching while staying safe,” he said.
Coastguard Titirangi skipper Mike Armstrong, aboard Lenses Online, said even with all the search equipment available to the coastguard crews, “visibility and conditions on the bar remained poor”.
“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the missing person during this difficult time. We extend our thanks to all the volunteers who responded last night and wish the best of luck to the crews continuing the search today,” Armstrong said.
The Coastguard team also urged everyone to take extra care when fishing from rocks, as they said conditions can change in an instant.
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