John Beckenridge's car was pulled from the sea near Curio Bay in May 2015 after lying beneath an 88m cliff for nearly two months. Beckenridge has been missing along with his stepson, Mike Zhao-Beckenridge, 11, since March 13, 2015.

The car linked to missing 11-year-old Invercargill boy Mike Zhao-Beckenridge has been raised from the ocean but police are not commenting on whether there are bodies inside.

The salvage vessel, Awesome, arrived in a bay near Curio Bay about 8.50am and launched a dinghy that took three divers to where the car fell, four metres under the surface.

The ocean had been too rough in the past to attempt a retrieval until Wednesday.

JOHN HAWKINS/FAIRFAX NZ A close up of the car linked to missing Invercargill boy Mike Zhao-Beckenridge, found near Curio Bay.

Divers had been tossed around in the bay and the recovery attempt was halted before lunch-time.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Bowman said after about two hours in the water, divers determined the airbags would not inflate properly and the car would not be able to be brought to the surface.

A helicopter was brought in to help retrieve the car, but the vehicle was too heavy for it to be dragged back to the boat.

JOHN HAWKINS/?FAIRFAX NZ A salvage helicopter with rope attached to car wreck in Blue Cod Bay near Curio Bay.

It was brought to shoreline instead, where four large buoys were attached.

With the help of the helicopter, battling some rough winds, the car was able to be dragged through the water to the boat, and winched on board.

He did not want to speculate if bodies were in the car, and police were still treating it as a missing persons case, Bowman said.

JOHN HAWKINS/FAIRFAX NZ Salvage boat Awesome arrives at Curio Bay.

"We would like to know in a few days though."

The ordeal had been hard for the family of Mike, he said.

"It's been a pretty traumatic day for the family. I'm sure they've got that hope in the back of their mind."



The car was a major factor in the inquiry and he hoped, now that it had been recovered, it would bring some answers.

JOHN HAWKINS/FAIRFAX NZ Divers enter the water to attach a rope to the car wreck in Blue Cod Bay.

"This examination will give an indication on where the inquiry sits now."

He hoped the examination would give an obvious clue where anyone was inside the car at the time it went over the cliff.

Police started examining the car as soon as it was on the boat and on its way back to Invercargill, because as soon as it left the water and hit the air, possible evidence could deteriorate.

JOHN HAWKINS/FAIRFAX NZ Salvage boat Awesome Blue Cod Bay near Curio Bay.

It had been a very difficult operation so far, but there was relief to finally have the car out of the water, he said.

"It's been extremely tough, [the divers] will be exhausted."

READ MORE: One month since Mike Zhao Beckenridge disappeared