A hunter is fighting for his life in Waikato Hospital after being shot by another hunter south of Taupo last night.

The prisoner who walked away from a minimum security prison yesterday was a murderer and double rapist.

Police warn central North Island drivers to be wary of hitchhikers, as they search for an escaped murderer who has been in jail since 1988.

Karl James Copley Lane admitted shooting Nadine Timmins in the head with a pistol after a dispute outside a public toilet.