Police searching for a West Coast man who went missing in the Waikato last week have located his vehicle in the King Country.

In the dawn of the fourth day of a search for 63-year-old Leslie Graham Wright, police say they are following positive leads in locating him thanks to a meter reader who identified the man's vehicle in an isolated road near Barryville.

Leslie Graham Wright has not been seen since Monday.

Waikato Search and Rescue Sergeant Phil Bell says events took a positive turn overnight when a member of the public reported sighting of Leslie's vehicle.

'A meter reader went home last night and heard media reports of police seeking Leslie's silver 2004 Nissan Pulsar hatchback car and realised the car was parked on an isolated forestry road near Barryville which is between Benneydale and Mangakino in the King Country.

'As a result of this news police and Land Search and Rescue volunteers have converged on an area off Waitaramoa Road, near the Pureora Forest Lodge.”

Leslie had been staying in Te Kuiti with a friend attending a conference and had left a camping ground on Monday morning planning to go on a day trip.

Searchers have been joined by a specialist tracking dog and at 7.40am Phil says there were positive reports via radio the team were following a strong scent.

While news of the search, which had originally covered an area stretching from Waihi on the east of the North Island over to Kawhia on the west coast, being narrowed was definitely good news Phil says this latest development wasn't without its own challenges.

'This area is quite well known to SAR teams because of its challenging nature.

'Though the terrain is quite flat the forest canopy is very thick and people often can't see the sky and become disorientated.”

He says without a compass this area is very difficult to navigate and a number of people have become lost in it.

Despite the challenges the fact the dog was able to track on a spoor that is three days old is encouraging for the police and volunteers working to locate Leslie, says Phil.

Anyone who may have seen Leslie or his car is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Steve Hudson of the Te Kuiti CIB on 07 858 6200.

Alternatively, information can be left anonymously via the Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 line.