Family members raised the alarm on Friday night when the pair failed to return to Pataua South, near Whangārei.
Photo: NZ Coastguard

Police are scaling back the search for a fisherman missing off the Northland coast for more than four days.

Northland police search and rescue leader Paul Overton said Auckland Coastguard Air Patrol joined the aerial search on Tuesday morning.

He said the national dive squad, police and navy searched a vast area on Monday in the hope of finding the man’s body.

Overton said daily shoreline searches would continue, but police were scaling back and considering what other options were available.

A boat with two people on board was reported overdue on Friday night and found adrift the next morning with nobody on it. One body and the missing boat were found on Saturday.

Family members raised the alarm on Friday night when the pair failed to return to Pataua South, near Whangārei.

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