Two deaths on the shores of Lake Taupō are not suspicious, police say

The deaths of two people found on the shores of Lake Taupō on Friday morning are not suspicious, police say.

Police issued a statement after a post-mortem examination of the two bodies was carried out on Saturday morning.

Emergency services were called to the shores of Lake Taupō around 7 a.m. Friday. Police cordoned off the parking lot on Lake Terrace near Mere Rd and erected two tents, one on the rocks by the lake and one in the parking lot.

The bodies were removed at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Police said the two deaths would be referred to the coroner.

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Taupō Mayor David Trewavas said the temperature had dropped to 4 to 5 degrees Celsius from Thursday night to Friday morning.

There were many scenarios that went through the shocked Taupō community about what may have killed the couple. These included hypothermia, but a coroner was needed to confirm the cause, he said.

He understood that the couple were not from Taupō.

Their bodies were found on a privileged lakefront site about 2 km south of the city center of Taupō, in a place famous for its hot river, the Taharepa Baths.

The area remained cordoned off, but the local iwi, Tūwharetoa, had kindly allowed a walk around the lake to continue, he said.