A man who sailed across the Tasman Sea with his six-year-old daughter will face criminal charges in New Zealand.

Alan Langdon arrived at Ulladulla on the New South Wales South Coast with his daughter, Que, on Wednesday after spending three weeks at sea.

The 49-year-old has been charged with taking a child from New Zealand and is likely to be extradited in coming days.

A child recovery agency, hired by the child's mother Ariane Wyler, said the pair were reunited in New South Wales yesterday.

Langdon said he was forced to cross the notoriously rough Tasman with his daughter after their rudder broke on a trip to New Zealand's Bay of Islands for Christmas, prompting Ms Wyler to report them missing.

Langdon said sailing to Australia was the safest option and his daughter was in no danger during the voyage.

Teary reunion 'like a TV scene'

Australian child recovery expert Col Chapman said it was the second time he had been hired by Ms Wyler to look for the pair after he found them living in rural New Zealand more than a year ago.

Alan Langdon and daughter Que sailed from Kawhia Harbour to Ulladulla. ( ABC News: Greg Nelson )

"The mum had become a little bit frustrated in not seeing her daughter for so long so she went down to the marina at Ulladulla harbour where her daughter was in the hope of just seeing her or just being able to look at her," Mr Chapman told the ABC.

"Her wish was just being able to speak to her."

"They stopped about a metre apart from each other and just looked at each other. It was so great, it was like a TV scene.

"Que looked up at her mum, her mum looked at her and Que just rushed over and grabbed mummy's leg and just didn't let it go.

"That went on for a little while. There were tears, there was crying. Que jumped up in her mum's arms, they were hugging each other."

He said the mother and daughter had the opportunity to talk when they were reunited, and were now together.

'I send you always my strength'

Mr Chapman said the father reacted by, "swearing quite loudly" when he was told and, "grabbed a friend and said, 'we have to go and see the police'".

Mr Chapman said the child went with the mother willingly.

"We didn't have to do anything, we were quite surprised. We were prepared to, but at that stage Que said she wanted to go with mum," he said.

"There's no reason she's not allowed to, there's no court orders preventing that from happening."

Langdon told the ABC the unplanned reunion was "a bit hard to grasp".

"We came in to have some breakfast and while I was preparing breakfast, Que went to the toilet. And when I called out I realised she wasn't there," he said.

"Be strong. I hope you are alright. I send you always my strength."

Father due in court

Mr Chapman said the father was being charged with breaching New Zealand Family Court orders not to take the child out of the country.

He said he believed everything he had done was "above board" and he did not believe he had broken any laws or done anything wrong in assisting the mother in being reunited with her daughter.

New Zealand police have initiated court proceedings under the Care of Children Act and have confirmed Langdon is due in Te Awamutu District Court on January 25 and that he is currently talking to Australian officials.

Langdon left New Zealand with his daughter on December 17.