Diving buddies won't quit search for Lucas

Refusing to give up the hunt for little Lucas Ward, below, are dive instructor Jim Kahukoti (front) with volunteers (from left) Michael Joseph, Tuta Ngarimu, Norm Ngaira, Ben Banks, Shane McCutchie and I Am.

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Determined Gisborne locals sent more men into the water as police cut back their dive teams searching for missing four-year-old Lucas Ward yesterday.

Nine amateur divers led by instructor Jim Kahukoti, a friend of Lucas's father Damon, spent seven hours searching from the mouth of the Turanganui River upstream to the Waimata, about 2km downstream from where Lucas vanished from his grandmother's property on Tuesday.

Police cut their dive team from eight to four, but Kahukoti and his mates refused to quit.

"In the centre, there's a strong current. It gushes out. If he came this far, he'll be out there," he said, pointing to sea.

"I think he would have come this far. That's my view, if he didn't get snagged. I've got a feeling he's out there," he said.

He said the centre of the river was flat and there were not a lot of places where Lucas could have got snagged.

"There's not much in the way of debris on the bottom of the river," he said. But there were rods poking out of the concrete wall separating the river from the port, and that had been the focus of the group's search.

The men were meeting again this morning to plan another search. Yesterday's cool temperatures and sometimes heavy rain failed to hamper searchers, with divers finding small items like cellphones and a hammer but no trace of Lucas. Kayaks made their way up the rivers while a team of around 50 family and friends continued searching the riverbanks. The family has also asked for a psychic to be brought in to help with the search.

Gisborne area commander Inspector Sam Aberahama said he was 99% certain Lucas was still within the area where he went missing.

Meanwhile, the aunt of two-year-old Aisling Symes, whose body was found in a stormwater drain in October last year, is urging the family to "keep faith" and avoid the blame-game.

Christine Bartle said the search brought back memories of the hunt for little Aisling, and she urged Lucas's family not to blame themselves, and to cling to each other for support.

She had yet to tell Aisling's parents, Allan and Angela, who were overseas, about Lucas, but knew they would have been in contact with the family had they been here. "We are just praying for the best possible result. Hold on to each other. That's all you can do."

- © Fairfax NZ News