The search for a young Fijian man who went missing off a remote Wairarapa beach on Monday will be scaled back this weekend.
Eroni Ravaga-Gaunavou, 22, was swimming with a small group of friends just north of Akitio, 85km southeast of Dannevirke, when he went under the water and did not resurface on Monday.
The former Fijian Sevens team member came to New Zealand two months ago to play for the Puketoi Rugby Club.
Up to 60 people have been involved in the search for him, many of them community members, friends and rugby club friends of the popular young Fijian man, Sergeant Andy Brooke said.
They had been checking the beach at every low tide north and south of the point where Mr Ravaga-Gaunavou was last seen.
But police involvement in the search would be scaled back after a search at low tide tomorrow.
"We're using a helicopter again today for sweeps of some of the more rugged parts of the coastline difficult for searching on foot,'' Mr Brooke.
