A man missing in Ōtaki Forks since Saturday has been located, with his dog leading rescuers to him.
Search teams located the man and his dog, Robey around 5pm yesterday.
Throughout the three days of searching, several reports of a dog barking were received in the Ōtaki Gorge area.
On Monday afternoon, Search and Rescue located Robey, by calling out to him after hearing more barking. The search team were then able to follow Robey's footprints to locate the missing man a short distance away. He was transported to Wellington Hospital via helicopter to be medically assessed.
Sergeant Marcus Fellerhoff says it is unlikely the man would have been found if it wasn't for his dog.
"Robey deserves a lot of credit in the locating and safe return of his owner. After he was found he was given some food and water and walked out of the bush with his rescuers."
The family have passed on their gratitude and praise for the efforts of Search and Rescue, Police and other members of the public who assisted with the search.
