Body recovered on Auckland’s Muriwai Beach

A body was recovered on Auckland’s Muriwai Beach after a member of the public spotted it walking down a nearby track.

Emergency services were called to the beach on the west coast, where the police Eagle helicopter sighted the body wedged between rocks at the waterline, in rough waters and terrain.

A person walking down the Te Henga runway called police around 5 p.m. today after seeing the body.

Surf Life Saving duty officer Brad Ward-Able said three lifeguards and a police officer in an inflatable rescue boat recovered the body.

“It is standard practice for police to use lifeguard skills to make recovery safer for everyone,” he said.

A post-mortem examination will be carried out to identify the body, a police spokeswoman said.

A fisherman disappeared on the beach six days ago.

The fisherman had been with a group and fell into the water off Kauwahaia Island, just off O’Neills Bay last Monday.

Search and rescue teams, Eagle and surf lifeguards have been searching for the man ever since, but have not found him.

The search for the man moved into a recovery phase when exhaustive searches during the week did not find him.

Police said they were ruling out the possibility that the body located today in Muriwai Beach could be the missing fisherman, but would not comment further until an autopsy of the body has been completed and more investigations have been conducted.

On Tuesday, lifeguards were dispatched on an IRB to Whites Beach, north of Piha, after a woman fell into the water.

Anisa Ghaniza was taken out of the water and given cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but shortly after she was pronounced dead.

The two deaths and seven more close visits on Auckland’s famous west coast beaches this week prompted lifeguards to urge the public to be safe.

“Unless you are confident, avoid entering or near water,” said Matt Williams, North Region Executive Director for Surf Life Saving.

“We have had 33 emergency calls for our emergency squads since the beginning of May this year.

“When you consider that in all of last year, including the summer, we only had 31, that’s a massive increase in our workload, and it’s projected to keep growing,” he said.

Surf Life Saving Safety Tips

• Choose a patrolled beach and swim between the flags

• Ask a lifeguard for advice

• Don’t overestimate your ability

• Keep young children within easy reach at all times.

• Watch out for rip currents. They can take you away from the shore

• When fishing from rocks, always wear a life jacket

• If in doubt, stay away

• If you see someone in trouble, call the police at 111

• Be smart in the sun: slip, slip, hit and wrap