Police searching for fugitive father Tom Phillips have left the small Waikato settlement of Marokopa after three days of checkpoints.

It’s understood their focus has moved to Otorohanga, where Phillips had a home before his disappearance 2½ years ago.

On Tuesday, police offered an $80,000 reward for information leading to the safe return of Phillips’ three children, Jayda, Maverick and Ember.

They also raised the possibility of immunity from prosecution for anyone who had been helping the family stay hidden.

Meanwhile, police have been back in touch with the manager of the thermal pools the family are thought to have visited.

Derek Webb, of Okoroire Hot Springs Hotel, said police asked him to check CCTV footage from June 2, the day a woman called the police tip line to say she had just seen the missing family there.

“They just wanted me to check the video footage, which I have done,” Webb said.

“There was nothing on those cameras, there was nothing that resembled him or the kids or any of that.”

There was no paying customer that day who could have been mistaken for Phillips and the three children.

“There was no other family that was similar – not with three kids.

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“Nothing to show, nothing to see.”

If it was Phillips in the pool, Webb said, he and the children could have sneaked in, as others had done in the past.

“We do acknowledge that there are other ways to gain access to the pools.”

Others had come in unnoticed, as the pools were remote and set in the bush.

“Or it might have also been that they were waiting for someone to come in or out of the gate and they have gone in behind them, just like they do in the movies,” Webb said.

“It does happen.”

The woman who reported seeing a family she thought was Phillips and his children says she is “regretful” that she didn’t call police earlier.

“Now I have looked at more photos of the children, I am 95 per cent sure it was them,” she said.

“I feel really upset I didn’t just make an excuse and get out of the pool and call the police straight away.”

She said that, after leaving the anonymous tip on June 2, she called back and left her name and number.

She had not heard from police since but believed that, if it was the Phillips family she saw, she could give valuable details.

The patience of Marokopa locals had been wearing thin since Phillips and his children disappeared on December 9, 2021. Police have since indicated they believe someone has been helping them stay hidden in the Marokopa area.

One woman told RNZ that, when Phillips’ ute was found abandoned when he first went missing in September 2021, Marokopa residents came out in force to help search. She believed Phillips was not thinking of what was best for his young family.

The $80,000 reward offered by the police expires on June 25.

RNZ’s Natalie Akoorie, reporting from Marokopa, told Morning Report that, when the family first disappeared, there was a huge outpouring of worry and support in the village. Police investigating the case were helped and fed by locals.

But now there were growing frustrations, with locals repeatedly being breathalysed.

Some felt there was a lot of negative focus on the town, Akoorie said. They wanted it to go away and for Phillips to do the right thing and turn himself in.

Scenes from Marokopa taken late yesterday as the search for Tom Phillips continues. Photo / NZME 

By and large, residents supported the latest police effort if it brought an end to the saga. However, they felt it was not clear what the operation was achieving.

Philips does not have legal custody of the children. Police say he is armed and should not be approached.

Officers said yesterday that they had been continuing to receive and assess information as they sought the safe return of the children.

“We have concerns for the welfare of the children, who have been living in isolation for the past 2½ years with no connection to others and without formal education and healthcare,” acting Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders said.

Scenes from Marokopa taken late yesterday as the search for Tom Phillips continues. Photo / NZME 

He urged anyone with credible information to get in touch.

Anyone wanting to contact police can do so by emailing [email protected], calling 105 or filing a report online, using the reference number 211218/5611.

Saunders also acknowledged the disruption for Marokopa residents and thanked them for their understanding.

-RNZ, Additional reporting NZ Herald