Source: Radio New Zealand
The body was recovered from the Waioweka River in Ōpōtiki on Tuesday morning.
Police say they recovered a body from the Waioweka River on Tuesday morning after a search for a man who was swept downstream after falling from a boat in the Bay of Plenty town of Ōpōtiki last month.
Inspector Nicky Cooney, Eastern Bay of Plenty Area Commander, said the body was recovered from the river at about 9am.
“This has been a long slow search, hindered at times by the weather as well as impacted by the slips on SH2,” Cooney said in a statement.
Police earlier said that they were called out at about 5.30pm on Friday 23 January after reports that a man had fallen from a boat and a search of the area was carried out with a vessel found nearby.
Cooney thanked all those who assisted in the search efforts including Land SAR volunteers, local jet boat and helicopter operators, the Police National Dive Squad and iwi whose knowledge of the river and surrounding terrain had been invaluable.
The formal identification process is underway, and the man’s death has been referred to the Coroner.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
