KEY POINTS:
A police hunt is on in Taupo for an 11-year-old girl missing from the town since yesterday morning.
Te Rina Teriini was last seen about 9.30am yesterday while watching the Taupo Ironman race with her family.
Senior Sergeant Tony Jeurissen said the family had been on Redoubt St, near the entrance to the former Taupo Motor Camp.
The area was packed with thousands of spectators, Mr Jeurissen said.
Family initially thought Te Rina could be with friends but alerted police late last night after failing to find her.
Mr Jeurissen said search and rescue teams were going through the area where Te Rina went missing, as well as searching the river.
Police hoped to find her safe and well with friends.
"What we're hoping is for someone to hear that we are looking for her and to come forward and say 'yes, she's with us'," he said.
"That would be superb."
Te Rina is described as being slim, about 1.5m tall, with shoulder-length black hair worn in a pony tail.
She was wearing a white short-sleeved, v-necked tee-shirt with a silver-coloured hem, light blue fleece tracksuit pants with a dark blue stripe and white jandals.
Anyone with information on Te Rina's whereabouts should contact the Taupo Police Station on (06) 378 6060.
- NZPA
