The US Coastguard, Nasa and Google Earth are helping search for a South African yachtie missing off the west coast of the North Island.
It has been 12 days since Paul van Rensburg left Tauranga for Gisborne aboard his 11-metre steel-hulled yacht Tafadzwa.
Last week, search and rescue authorities spent three days in the air and on the water searching for him.
Though the official search has been suspended, friends of Mr van Rensburg have vowed to continue looking -- setting up a website, bank account and "text to donate" number and approaching key agencies for help.
The group asked the US agencies to assist with any satellite pictures that might help the search for the experienced 40-year-old skipper.
Friend Warwick Gowland said it had been a "long, long week of sorting through information, but we have some amazing people and companies helping".
The US Coastguard said yesterday they failed to find any sign of Mr van Rensburg from their satellites. Nasa was likewise unable to assist "but they put us on to the people who could", Mr Gowland said.
This included Google Earth, which was "amazing", offering satellite imagery and letting friends know what information they could gather and what time frames were available.
A group of friends have formed a Let's Find Paul Team, based in Mt Maunganui.
"We don't want to just keep waiting, pulling different scenarios of what might have happened," Mr Gowland said.
Yesterday, the group hired a helicopter to scan the coastal area from Opotiki to past Hick's Bay and around surrounding islands.
"It was a really extensive coastline search. We looked in every nook and cranny and inlet," Mr Gowland said.
"There were some random bits of debris but we put them down to being there for some time, rather than off the Tafadzwa."
Members of the group feel previous searches for Mr van Rensburg did not focus on a north to northwest area of sea above the upper East Cape.
"We feel no disrespect for Search and Rescue for what they have done, because they have done a really good job and the family are really grateful.
"We feel strongly, however, that the search was cut off too early [and] we believe they possibly searched the wrong area," Mr Gowland said.
