A body believed to be of a man who reportedly fell from his boat into the Waioweka River in January was found by police and search teams this morning.
Police said the search had been long and slow, hindered by recent bad weather and slips on SH2 between Matawai and Ōpōtiki.
The body was found around 9am on Tuesday morning.
The man was originally reported to have been swept downstream after falling out of his boat at around 5.30pm on January 23.
An initial search by emergency services located the vessel, but the man remained unaccounted for.
Following the recovery, police thanked those involved in the search efforts.
"In particular, we would like to acknowledge Land SAR volunteers, local jet boat and helicopter operators, along with iwi whose knowledge of the river and surrounding terrain has been invaluable."
"We are also grateful for the assistance of the Police National Dive Squad."
A formal identification process would be carried out and the man's death was referred to the Coroner.
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