A diving course came to a tragic end after two people failed to surface and a third was hospitalised.

Police say an elderly woman who sneaked out of a New Plymouth rest home, checked herself into a motel for the night.

Police want help to find a 23-year-old Tauranga man missing since the beginning of the month.

Searchers say hopes of finding 30-year-old Yue Gui's body are not good.