The mystery of a missing British doctor who vanished over a week ago has deepened with hundreds involved in the search for him.
David Holland, who had been living in New Zealand, failed to turn up for work sparking concerns amongst his pals.
The 31-year-old anaesthetist, originally from Swansea, Wales, vanished on March 11 with searches continuing among his friends in his adopted home
Friends reckoned he had been planning to go in a beach swim, but he failed to appear for work.
Efforts were made by local police and hundreds of volunteers to locate the medic, but nothing has yet been found.
Hundreds of people were also involved in a wide-scale search of the sand dunes of Pāpāmoa Beach.
Wales Online reports that New Zealand Police issued a statement saying they were 'overwhelmed' with the support of volunteers.
It said: "There were 148 volunteer searchers today locating a total of 36 items which were reported back to police. Unfortunately, none of those items have any relevance to the missing doctor.
"The Tauranga Land Search and Rescue teams also searched more difficult areas in the dunes covering spaces that were not visible from the air.
"Nothing of interest was located. Tauranga Coast Guard have been relaying an “all stations” message to recreational boats in the area today, asking them to be vigilant and contact police if they found anything of interest.
"Sergeant Craig Madden of the Tauranga Search and Rescue would like to acknowledge the efforts of a number of volunteer organisations including the Tauranga and Rotorua Land Search and Rescue, the Mount Maunganui, Omanu and the Papamoa Surf Lifesaving clubs, Tauranga Coastguard and the Coastguard Air Patrol, and community volunteers for their many hours of searching."
New Zealand news outlet Stuff has reported David sent a text to his ex-partner, Margarita (Rita) Khabitueva saying he was going for a swim.
He was last seen that evening on CCTV cameras close to the beach area, wearing beige pants, a dark top and cap.
Margarita told Stuff his family in the UK and friends and colleagues in New Zealand were overwhelmed by the “love and support” from the local community.
She said: “I wish that David could see this, how many people have come together to look for him. He would be blown away.
"He was so loved. He has touched so many hearts.
"We are all hurting, and we just want to find him. David is such a caring person - I know that if someone else went missing, he would be the first out looking."
The search for David continued over the weekend as a fundraiser was launched to help find him on GoFundMe. The page has already raised more than £9,000.
On the page, it says: "David is a wonderful person. His friends, family and colleagues love him for being kind-hearted, endlessly thoughtful and funny.
"He is active and outdoorsy and is a keen cyclist, swimmer, hiker, ultimate frisbee player and an excellent swing dancer.
"It is due to this warm, open, adventurous personality that David has friends from all over the world and all walks of life that are looking for ways to help.
David's family have travelled to New Zealand to coordinate the search ongoing.
"There is a lot of uncertainty and one of the ways we hope to help is ensuring that Dave's family do not need to worry about finances (travel and ongoing costs) whilst they continue to navigate this inconceivable situation."
