Police searching for a missing person who was swept into the water at Karioitahi Beach near Waiuku on January 7 have located a body in the water.
The body was located by a police helicopter on Tuesday morning while it was carrying out an aerial search of the coastline.
"The body has subsequently been recovered by local surf lifesavers and brought to land," police said in a statement.
Next of kin have been advised, however police will not be in a position to name the person until formal identification has taken place.
The death will be referred to the Coroner.
It comes as drowning figures soared over the Christmas and New Year holiday period.
Fourteen people died in “preventable drownings” between 4pm on December 24, 2021 and 6am January 5.
The preliminary figures from Water Safety New Zealand (WSNZ) are up from five in the 2020 to 2021 period.
WSNZ chief executive Daniel Gerrard said the figure represented “a horrific loss of lives”.
“It cuts through every age range, water activity and ethnicity. A common theme in these drownings was people underestimating the conditions and overestimating their ability.”
Gerrard urged people to make wise decisions around the water as the summer season continued.
This included taking a buddy, swimming between the flags at patrolled beaches, watching out for rips, wearing lifejackets on boats and while fishing from rocks, and supervising children in the water.
“We know Kiwis will continue to enjoy our beautiful waterways as the warm weather continues. We all need to take responsibility and think about water safety,” he said.
All but one of the drowning fatalities were in the North Island.
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