Police looking into the disappearance of missing Gisborne man Joseph Ahuriri have called off their search at a beach in Hawke's Bay.
Ahuriri, a father of eight, was last seen on February 14, 2023 at Waitomo Fuel Stop in Bayview Napier, around the same time Cyclone Gabrielle hit.
Since then, police have been looking into his disappearance.
In recent days, specialist search teams and two excavators were used to search through an area of the beach, located near the Esk River.
The search was launched after a 2023 magnetometer drone survey found a metal-like object around five metres below the surface.
As a result, around 2000 cubic metres of sand was moved, but police said nothing was found.
"Unfortunately, we have not been able to locate Joseph or any items of interest in relation to his disappearance," Detective Sergeant Alex Simister said.
"We will continue to search for answers. Whether that involves another physical search is something we need to consider."
