A man has been charged with wasting police's time, after a dad went bush with his three children

The father sparked a search and rescue operation in the Waikato settlement of Marokopa, after his ute was found below the tideline on a beach.

Him and the children showed up two-and-a-half weeks later.

They'd been camping in dense bush about 15 kilometres south of the ute.

A 34-year-old man will appear in Te Kuiti District Court next month, on a charge of wasteful deployment of police resources.