An aeroplane and Coastguard boat is scouring waters off Tauranga after a mayday call was received at about 11.30 on Saturday.

Coastguard operations manager, Simon Barker, says they know very little about the boat's location.

'There was part of a mayday heard at about 11.30. All that was received was ‘mayday, mayday' and then nothing after that.”


File picture.

Coastguard believe the boat is located off the Western Bay of Plenty coast because the mayday call was received on the channel 16 frequency, which requires the boat to have line of sight to Mount Te Aroha, northwest of Katikati.

The air search spent Saturday afternoon scouring areas around Mayor Island and Motiti Island.

'It's very calm out at sea so there's very little to be seen.”

Simon says the distress call was received at Maritime New Zealand in Wellington.

'They tried to come back to the boat but were unable to raise it.”

Senior sergeant Stu Graham says police have limited information at this stage.

'We are following our procedures and searching to see if we can find any boats out there.”

Police will decide later on Saturday if it is necessary to expand the search.