We ran out of options, say chopper searchers

Organisers of the cancelled search for multi-millionaire businessman Michael Erceg have denied claims they gave up too soon.

The official search, led by the National Rescue Co-ordination Centre, was called off four days ago after finding no trace of Mr Erceg and his companion, Guus Klatte. Their helicopter disappeared from radar screens south of Raglan on November 4.

Mr Erceg, who has an estimated personal wealth of $620 million from his business interests in the liquor industry, and Mr Klatte, a beer company executive from Holland, were flying from Auckland to Queenstown.

A privately funded search of dense bush between Wanganui and Raglan is continuing, but searchers had nothing new to report yesterday.

Mr Erceg's brother, Ivan Erceg, yesterday criticised the decision to call off the official search.

He told Newstalk ZB the searchers had discounted some of the sightings of his brother's Eurocopter helicopter, which were now being followed up in the private search.

Rescue centre spokesman Steve Corbett said he could understand the family's frustrations, but the centre was confident it had done all it could.

"It's not possible to keep searching forever.

"We got to the point where we ran out of options. It's never an easy decision to make," Mr Corbett said.

Many experts had a say on whether the search should be called off.

"It was the terrain more than anything that beat us. We could have gone over the same site three or four times and not seen anything."

Mr Corbett said it was "gutting" for all those involved that the men had not been found.

Ivan Erceg said he believed his brother and Mr Klatte could still be alive because of the helicopter's design, but Mr Corbett said the centre's hopes of finding the men alive had dimmed over the search period.