Wellington  - A two-year-old New Zealand girl may have been kidnapped, police said Wednesday after a two-day search failed to find any trace of the toddler.

Aisling Symes was last seen late Monday afternoon and police, who initially suspected that the adventurous infant may have wandered off on her own, now fear she has been abducted.

An intensive search in suburban Henderson, 16 kilometres from central Auckland, proved fruitless.

Police inspector Gary Davey told reporters that given the extensive search, "police must turn their mind more and more to the possibility that she may have been abducted."

Police appealed to an Asian woman, said to be in her 30s, who was reported seen with the toddler to come forward.

The girl's aunt, Aithne Potts, appealed at a news conference, "If you are the person who has my niece, we don't know why you wouldn't have told us."

"We don't understand why its been so long and we know nothing, so please tell us where she is," she said. "We just want her home." (dpa)