Child recovery experts have helped reunite New Zealand girl Que Langdon with her mother at Ulladulla.
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The six-year-old is at the centre of an ugly custody battle after she and her father, Alan Langdon, disappeared after leaving Kawhia Harbour in Waikato, on New Zealand’s north island, on December 17.
The pair became the object of an international man hunt until they were discovered in the New South Wales south coastal town of Ulladulla last Wednesday.
Just after 8am on Sunday Que Langdon and her mother Ariane Wyler were reunited with the assistance of Col Chapman from Child Recovery Australia.
Speaking through Mr Chapman, Ms Wyler said she and Que were “happy and enjoying playtime” and would make another statement once she has been able to spend time with her daughter.
Mr Chapman said the mother and daughter were travelling to Melbourne to stay with family and friends while they worked out their next steps.
Ms Wyler and Mr Langdon were due to appear in family court proceedings in Auckland in March this year, however when the pair vanished, Ms Wyler hired Mr Chapman to investigate.
Mr Chapman said New Zealand court had seized Que's passport to prevent her from traveling internationally before her parents scheduled court appearance.
“He (Alan) has avoided family court proceedings in two countries and she (Ariane) has done this to bring it to a head,” Mr Chapman said.
However, Mr Langdon denied he’d avoided court or deliberately fled the country, saying he and Que had intended to travel to the Bay of Islands, however a broken rudder forced them to revise their route and aim for “the biggest target” – Australia.
When the Milton Ulladulla Times spoke with Mr Langdon on Sunday he was visibly upset and concerned for his daughter’s emotional wellbeing.
“She is just a child and the fact I don’t know where she is kills me,” he said.
“We came in [to the Ulladulla Harbour fishing co-op kitchen] at 8:30am, by 8:35 I didn’t know where she was and by 8:50 the police were here.”
Mr Langdon said Que went into the toilet and vanished.
However Mr Chapman claims Que was approached by her mother, and it was Que’s decision to go with her.
“Ariane approached Que at a quiet moment,” he said.
“They chatted briefly and Que informed her mother she missed her, loved her and was thrilled to see her.
“Within a few minutes Que asked if she could come with her mother.”
Mr Chapman said he parted ways with the Ms Wyler and Que at this point, however asked someone he believed to be a security officer at the fishing co-op to tell Alan what happened.
Mr Langdon denies this and said he had no idea of Que’s whereabouts until Fairfax Media confirmed she was with her mother.
“I wish for Que to be brought back right now, or for her to be with official authorities,” he said.
“I want her to be able to call me. I want to know where she is, who she is with and when I can see her again.”
Meantime, New Zealand police confirmed on Sunday they had laid charges against Mr Langdon.
"A 49-year-old man is due in Te Awamutu District Court on January 25, charged with taking a child from New Zealand," Detective Sergeant Bill Crowe said.
New Zealand Police will have to apply to Australian authorities to have Langdon, who is an Australian citizen, extradited back to New Zealand.
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