Impact marks on the bank along Te Anga Rd, near Waitomo, show where Tom Phillips’ quad bike may have hit.
Tread marks from police cars and trailers are still fresh in the mud at the site where police appear to have gathered items.
Tracks had been cut in the bush surrounding the clearing, and rubbish and items seen in previous aerial photographs were strewn to one side.
Oil, plastic bins, a milk bottle, tarpaulins, cups, a jigsaw power tool, an air hose, tyres, camping poles and a bike helmet were visible.
Other items include a toilet bowl and black plastic fans strewn across the ground.
Items believed to have been found by police investigating the Tom Phillips case.
Earlier, police would not confirm the relevance of the items they’ve found and whether they were possessions of the family while they were on the run.
Some of the items previously seen in aerial footage this week have been removed, a reporter at the scene said.
An array of rubbish and items have been found.
What we know so far
Although investigations have revealed many aspects of the Phillips case, some key details will remain suppressed for now after a hearing on an urgent injunction application.
Phillips was shot dead by police on Monday after nearly four years on the run with his three children.
In a standoff, he shot a police officer multiple times. The officer is recovering in hospital.
Phillips was found on a quad bike with one of his children after a burglary at a farm store in Piopio. The child helped lead police to their siblings at a bush campsite.
Phillips had been on the run since December 2021, when he disappeared with his three children from their family farm in Marokopa. Jayda, Maverick and Ember were 8, 7 and 5, respectively, when they went into hiding. They are now 12, 10 and 9.
The children’s mother said “they have been dearly missed every day for nearly four years, and we are looking forward to welcoming them home with love and care”.
Police gather items at a site off Te Anga Rd, near Waitomo, where Tom Phillips and his children had been hiding. Photo / Dean Purcell
The children are now in the care of Oranga Tamariki.
Police have found a number of campsites and photos show the conditions the children had to endure, painting a grim picture of their daily reality among rubbish and tarps.
Three firearms, including the weapon used by Phillips, have been recovered from the shooting scene.
Several firearms were found at the camp, police said.
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